British couple die on Morocco holiday
Four children are left orphaned after both of their parents died in separate falls days apart on a family holiday in Morocco.
Roger and Mathilde Lamb, from near Pershore in Worcestershire, died while on holiday with their four sons in Essaouira, a coastal resort in Morocco.
A spokeswoman at the British Embassy in Rabat confirmed reports that Mrs Lamb, known as Tilly, had fallen from an apartment, while her husband died after a separate fall at a different building a few days later.
The exact circumstances of the deaths of the couple remain unclear.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman told Channel 4 News: “We can confirm the deaths of two Brits in Morocco earlier this month. We are providing consular assistance at this very difficult time.”
Police in the UK also confirmed the deaths of the couple. Both are believed to have died in hospital from their injuries.
‘Shocked and saddened’
Mrs Lamb’s brother-in-law Mark Rogerson said the couple’s four sons, aged between nine and 16, are back in the UK being looked after by relatives.
Speaking from his home in France, Mr Rogerson said they knew very few details about what happened, but heard about Mrs Lamb’s death last Thursday after she apparently fell the previous night. They then heard about Mr Lamb’s death on Monday.
In a statement released on behalf of the family, Mr Rogerson said: “Roger and Tilly’s families have been deeply shocked and saddened by their tragic deaths while on holiday in Morocco.
“Our principal concern at the moment is to provide love and support to their four sons who have had to suffer the loss of both a mother and a father in swift succession.”
Our principal concern at the moment is to provide love and support to their four sons who have had to suffer the loss of both a mother and a father in swift succession. Mark Rogerson, Mrs Lamb’s brother-in-law
He said the boys were being “well cared for by relatives” and asked for the family’s privacy to be respected. He also thanked British consular authorities in Morocco for their help.
The Rev Terry Henderson, rector for Great Comberton in Worcestershire, where Mrs Lamb’s elderly mother lives, paid tribute to the couple.
He said they were very much part of the community through their children’s school, Elmley Castle Church of England School.
“I know the family very well from a pastoral point of view and I have been speaking to support the family at this time, particularly Tilly’s mother who is quite elderly and needs the support,” he said.
“In a small rural community like this, when news like that is suddenly made known, the community, because they know the couple so well through the school, are traumatised by it because in a rural community you get to know people very well.”
But he said it was still unclear exactly what had happened: “There is lots of speculation, nobody knows quite what happened.
“You hear people say ‘Oh this must have happened’, but it’s speculation. Nobody really knows what happened.”
Mrs Lamb’s body is expected to be repatriated to Wiltshire because she has family in the area. Mr Lamb, an engineer, had been working in Christchurch, New Zealand.