Mysterious death of Magdalena Żuk on holiday in Egypt

Indeed. By all accounts, she was in a pretty dreadful state, and the question remains why the Polish tour company representative wasn't able to deal with it.

Pretty well crapped out at the first sign of him having to actually do his job.

Part of the reason some of these silly conspiracy theories have appeared here in PL, people feeling they have to try to blame someone else in order to defend a Polish company, no matter how appalling their service was.

That's exactly it. Notice how none of the usual suspects here blamed the tour company, even though the most obvious thing to do with someone in clear and complete distress would have been to throw all the available resources towards making sure that she got back to Poland for treatment. The fact that she wasn't allowed on the plane despite being in obvious mental turmoil shows just how deep the failings of the Polish tour company were in this case.

It's childish and pathetic. Criticism where criticism is due, and that criticism should be directed at the tour operator who failed repeatedly and constantly.

Rainbow Tours, if anyone's interested.


The resort in question is specifically geared to the elderly and to young families and is marketed as a more sedate and family-friendly alternative to Hurghada.


We were considering using them after a friend had recommended them. Not now.

Even more reason why a woman in obvious severe distress should have been given the VIP treatment and taken back to Poland as quickly as possible. Even if she was in the grips of a severe breakdown, she could have been restrained on the plane for the 4 hour flight back to Poland quite safely and without problem, perhaps under the escort of a doctor.

Instead, the company abandoned her in her time of need. It's an absolute disgrace, but the usual suspects prefer their insane and poorly thought out conspiracy theories rather than criticising the company that has responsibility for her death.

Now that would have involved a Polish company actually getting off their arses and taking responsibility for the 'customer experience'. Morally easier for some to try and insinuate by means of conspiracy theory that someone else is to blame. It wouldn't be the first time.

It isn't the first time and it won't be the last time. Some people will invent the most terrible things, just to protect a Polish company or person.

What would it cost for a doctor to escort her on the plane? A few thousand at the most.

Unfortunately yes. This case has an eery parallel with the one a few years ago when the teenage girl from Poland got knocked up while on holiday and her mother swore blind that it must have been from sperm floating in the swimming pool.

And ultimately, there's a young woman dead after becoming mentally disturbed while on holiday. Even though the Polish travel agency she booked with were aware that there was a serious problem, there are people who will cook up the most unbelievable tales in order to blame someone, anyone, else.

wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114883,22317729,biegala-po-hotelu-i-caly-czas-plakala-tvn24-dotarl-do-nowych.html?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=SM&utm_campaign=FB_Gazeta

Latest news is that a tourist in the same hotel has revealed much more about what was happening there. She was clearly in huge psychological distress, and the failure of the Polish tour operator to secure her proper treatment (or even to get her on the plane) shows that there is clearly criminal liability on the part of the Polish company here.

As a minimum, she could have been handcuffed on the plane to the seats in order to get her safely back to Poland for psychiatric evaluation and treatment. The tour operator instead abandoned her, putting profits above the welfare of their guests. Sick and disgusting, and her death should have been avoidable.

I think Polish companies are outsourcing 'rezydent' jobs to local people who often don't have the cultural knowledge (and/or time) to make good judgement calls. Wasn't the rezydent an Egyptian guy (probably overworked) rather than a Polish person who knows the local system?

Also, given Egyptian culture, there are restrictions that mean that women don't necessarily receive proper care.

I think they are also quite afraid to make decisions by themselves, which seems to translate into perceived uselessness. If you think about how Polish managers overreact like children, and add into it the local culture of not wanting to rock the boat (because jobs are hard to come by), it's a recipe for disaster.


Yup. Absolutely inexcusable if you ask me, and instead of the hysteria surrounding alleged murder, it would have been much better to look at how tourists are looked after in such resorts. Can any tour operator right now truthfully say that they'll look after someone in such a situation? I don't think so.


Yes, totally. I'm fully able to imagine that the rezydent and the hotel staff together were willing to leave her to her torment, because the "stupid tourist" will be gone soon anyway. I was in Egypt a few years ago out of curiosity, and it was painfully clear that the Western staff in the resort had completely different ideas about how to do things than the local staff.

Basing your breaking news on some rumors? You have jumped in right quick to slander people who are dead and cannot defend themselves - what new?

What's the slander? The poor woman was suffering from some severe psychological issues and should have received urgent care and preferably repatriated immediately to Poland so she could receive care in her native language.

I wouldn't wish mental trauma on anyone, and having to deal with Egyptians while suffering like that - I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Tell me Ironside, why are you so reluctant to blame the useless Polish tour operator in this case?

You don't know that.


In your dreams, you tell me why you pretend to know more than you do on the subject and why do you spin a tale basing it on some rumors?

This is legally tricky... Idk tho is a travel agency responsible for tourists actions? If some does something stupid crazy or illegal in a foreign country I don't think its the agencies responsibility. I've only read two articles on this case one from uks independent and another polish one. Both said she had a psychotic breakdown. Idk I don't think this was a murder though and it seems like the hotel and hospitals or at least some doc or nurse that was sent to see her did what they could. I think this girl was just crazy and over dramatic maybe got in a fight w her bf bc of his visa being denied idk. Fom what i read anyway it seems like they rly did everything they could esp given she's a tourist in Egypt...

I travelled to Egypt around a year ago (a few months after some 2 dozen copts were beheaded and isis was causing problems in the sinai and tour buses were getting shot up and people kidnapped) because my lawyer friend received some 5 day package from some lawyers reception as a gift but his gf was too scared to go and refused to let him go alone (since at the time it was rather dangerous. i went but took a few precautions to make myself look less like an American - growing out a beard, covering my face, etc esp since id be travelling on a us passport. I had grew up in a ghetto and travelled extensively around latam Europe us etc so I wasn't too concerned altho I never was rly in a Muslim majority country till then except Palestine when I had to go to Israel but that still seemed different. I actually felt way safer in Palestine than many other places I've been to btw. Anyway when I went to Egypt specifically Cairo then gizo was totally dead. My hotel was supposed be 3 star and I wouldn't of cared for the lack of amenities as long as it had a clean bed and water - that's rly all I require when I travel. All the hotels restaurateurs gift shops etc said isis along w the Arab spring n changes in government ruined their tourism industry. The whole area around the pyramids was void of tourists the only people there were a few stalls. It kind of ruined my plans to try to blend in and go unnoticed since at some points I literally had a small crowd trying to get me to buy some trinket or have a seat in their cafe. If you're going to Cairo its different but if you plan on going places like giza or any of the ancient sites u might want to be careful. Im sure the tourism will return eventually tho once Egypt stabilizes a bit more.

I recently read a story about a Irish citizen named Ibrahim who's facing the death penalty in Egypt

independent.co.uk/voices/egypt-death-sentence-teenager-brother-why-does-government-fund-them-a7926026.html

This is why you don't phuck around in foreign countries

Obviously flailing your arms and acting like a crazy broad and screaming n everything isn't going to bode well for you esp if you're a young polish chick alone in Egypt..

It depends on whatever's in the contract, meaning no.


I think so too. It's a tragic story. With mass tourism there are tragedies every year at resorts. A young Brit just fell to his death from a hotel balcony only last week.

ibrahim is arab name not irish,and those violent protests in Egypt in 2013 were pro muslim brotherhood.should they succeeded,we would see Egypt turned into Libya.or another IS.hope he will rot in this prison

There's an Irishman called Leo Varadkar. Quite a well known one.

And your point is?

Yea but he's still an Irish citizen tho.. I'm kind of surprised that hi level talks between government figures haven't amounted to anything.. Plus no one goes in front of a judge 37 times. (Unless he's a wealthy American w the money to afford a lawyer to keep issuing continuance that a judge grants upsetting the prosecutor which ends up making him give up n move onto more serious matters, offering a bargain he'd otherwise never give, or losing at trial.. And even then that's like a 10 continuance max)

Also the kid was 17 give him a break. Like u haven't done anything you regretted as a teen?

Btw happy labor day to N e ones who's celebrating it

Yes and no. I'd say if someone is alone in a resort with no family or friends and is really troubled, then yes, they have a moral duty to look after her properly.


No, not quite. There were quite a few failings - she was already in bad state in the hotel, and it seems to me that not a single person had the brains to contact the Polish Embassy to request urgent assistance for a Polish national in need.

There's nothing mysterious about her death, just systematic failings on the part of the Egyptians and the Polish tour operator.

I wonder if there were any other Polish guests in that hotel used by a Polish holiday company. And if so, did they notice anything unusual, and if they did, what did they do about it?

Yes, you're right it's entirely the fault of insensitve Poles for not being (or becoming) conssellors during their vacation and hanigng around the hotel the whole time looking for signs of psychological instability among the hotel guests.

Egypt 1 - Poland 0

Really?


Or just being normal, and looking after someone obviously in distress.


It was a resort.

They probably ignored her and pretended it wasn't their problem.

This is a third world country there is trafficking everywhere it is egpyt just because people come back until harmed all the time doesn't mean she was raped

Pretty white girl goes to a country where you even see how they treat there own women and in the video call she even says they use tricks here tricks meaning prostitution you guys wanna be so poiltcly correct these days that you can't see stuff in front of your face