Highlights
- Eight Britons dead following Cape Verde holidays in recent years.
- Legal claim includes reports of E. coli, salmonella infections.
- UK Health Security Agency recorded 155 illness cases since October 2025.
The law firm Irwin Mitchell says people are still coming forward with complaints about illnesses contracted just weeks ago.
Solicitors anticipate the dispute could result in multi-million pound compensation payouts if a High Court judge rules in favour of claimants.
Jatinder Paul, representing the claimants, called the situation extraordinary. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he remarked: "In all my years of doing this work, I have not seen a case this large and unfortunately so many that have died as a result of the illnesses."
Travellers have fallen victim to bacterial infections like E. coli, salmonella and shigella, plus parasitic diseases including cryptosporidium. The youngest victim was just six months old.
British health authorities discovered 112 shigella infections and 43 salmonella cases amongst people returning from Cape Verde between October 2025 and February.
These gut infections trigger severe diarrhoea, painful stomach cramps and high temperatures.
Lawyers have collected video evidence revealing poorly cooked meals, insects swarming around food stations and fungal growth inside accommodation.
The tour operator has flown more than a million customers to the former Portuguese colony since 2022.
Tragic outcomes
Birmingham resident Elena Walsh, aged 64, passed away in hospital two days after symptoms began at the RIU Cabo Verde resort last August. Her son Sean watched his mother's condition worsen through the night.
He urged others to reconsider travelling there: "I just want people to not go there. My mum didn't" return safely.
Another victim, 64-year-old Karen Pooley from Lydney, developed stomach problems in October.
Rushing to be sick, she slipped on water escaping from a refrigerator and fractured her leg. After being airlifted to Tenerife, she died from sepsis and organ failure.
Daughter Liz Pooley expressed her anguish: "No family should have to FaceTime their mum on a Friday night, and by the following Friday, organise a funeral."
RIU Hotels insists its Cape Verde establishments maintain "the strictest international health and hygiene standards".
Tui says it cannot respond fully without seeing the still-unreleased Cape Verde health report, though it assists unwell customers with medical access.
