A devastating tragedy struck a popular tourist destination in Sri Lanka, where 24-year-old British traveller Ebony McIntosh, 24, from Derby, was taken to hospital in Colombo after falling ill with vomiting and breathing difficulties on Saturday – but died there hours later. The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety and regulation of pest control practices in Sri Lankan accommodations and serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers that can lurk in even the most seemingly idyllic vacation spots.

A British woman has tragically died while on holiday in Sri Lanka after her hostel room was fumigated for bedbugs, according to local police.

Ebony McIntosh, 24, from Derby, was admitted to a hospital in the capital, Colombo, on Saturday after falling ill.

She had reportedly suffered vomiting, nausea and breathing difficulties – but died there hours later.

Another woman, Nadie Raguse, 26, from Germany, who was also staying at the Miracle Colombo City Hostel, died, Sri Lanka police said.

The force’s spokesperson Buddhika Manatunga said a room in the hostel had been fumigated for bed bugs before the women fell ill – and that they are investigating the possibility of poisoning by noxious pesticides.


The hostel is closed until further notice.

The digital marketing and social media manager’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the cost of returning her body to the UK.

A statement on the page read: “We are absolutely heartbroken to share that our beautiful baby girl and big sister Ebony has passed away unexpectedly on Saturday 1st February 2025, thousands of miles away from home.

“Words can not begin to express how broken we are, it’s been like a nightmare since we found out on Sunday morning. We have prayed and prayed that this can’t be true. It couldn’t possibly happen to our lovely Ebs.”

The statement added: “We can not even begin to imagine how scared she must have felt at the time, and it hurts us so badly to think of the pain she was in. We need to be with her and bring her home safely.

“She passed away with someone from the hostel beside her. We are endlessly grateful to this man for staying with her during her last moments.”

The family said Ms McIntosh had started her holiday on 28 January when she flew from Heathrow to “follow her dreams of travelling all over South Asia, starting in Sri Lanka”.

They said she was “full of excitement for her adventures ahead, in typical Ebony style she had spent months researching and planning and drawing up schedules for the coming months”.

“Her trip was cruelly cut short on Saturday 1st February, when she [was taken] very ill in the hostel she was staying in.”

A cause of death has not been established, and a post-mortem examination can not take place until the family arrives on 10 February, the police said.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson confirmed: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Sri Lanka and are in contact with the local authorities.”