A growing mass legal action against major European travel operator Tui has now drawn more than 1,700 claimants who fell ill during all-inclusive package holidays to the popular West African destination of Cape Verde, with law firm representatives confirming an updated death toll of eight British nationals linked to post-travel illnesses.
Leading the multi-claimant personal injury suit, UK-based law firm Irwin Mitchell says new inquiries are still coming in as recently as two weeks ago, indicating that safety issues at popular Cape Verde resorts frequented by Tui holidaymakers have not been resolved months after official health warnings were issued. Lead solicitor Jatinder Paul described the case as unprecedented in his decades of personal injury practice, noting that no other similar claim has involved this many affected claimants or such a high number of fatal outcomes.
Clairmants have reported a range of serious gastrointestinal and parasitic infections contracted during their stays, including E. coli, salmonella, shigella, and cryptosporidium. Vulnerable groups including infants as young as six months old are among those affected. In February 2026, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an official public warning to British travellers over trips to Cape Verde, confirming that between October 2025 and February 2026 alone, 112 cases of shigella and 43 cases of salmonella had been linked to travel to the archipelago. Both infections cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and high fever, and can turn life-threatening for vulnerable people.
Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony off the coast of West Africa, has grown into one of the most popular winter sun destinations for European travellers seeking warm weather and golden sandy beaches. Tui, one of the largest tour operators serving the region, has brought more than one million British holidaymakers to the islands since 2022 alone.
Lawyers have collected on-the-ground evidence of systemic hygiene failures at multiple resorts popular with Tui packages. Video footage reviewed by the BBC shows multiple hazards: undercooked food served at hotel buffets, swarms of flies surrounding open buffet stations, and visible mould growing inside guest rooms.
Two high-profile fatal cases highlight the severity of the risks. Sixty-four-year-old Elena Walsh from Birmingham travelled to the five-star RIU Cabo Verde resort on a Tui package in August 2025. She developed acute illness just two days into her trip and died in a local hospital within 48 hours of falling sick. Her son, Sean Walsh, recalled the rapid and shocking deterioration of his mother’s health, urging other travellers to avoid booking trips to Cape Verde despite its reputation as a budget-friendly sunny destination. “People can go and be fine, but my mum wasn’t. I just don’t want anyone else to go through what our family has,” he said.
A second 64-year-old traveller, Karen Pooley from Lydney, developed acute gastric illness during her Tui-booked two-week Cape Verde holiday in October 2025. After falling ill, she slipped on water leaking from a faulty fridge while rushing to the bathroom, breaking her leg. She was airlifted to a hospital in Tenerife for advanced care but died the next day from sepsis and multi-organ failure. Her daughter, Liz Pooley, holds Tui fully responsible for her mother’s preventable death. “No family should have to FaceTime their mum on a Friday and plan her funeral by the next Friday. This should never have happened,” she told reporters.
RIU Hotels and Resorts, which operates the resort where Walsh stayed, has pushed back against the claims, releasing a statement asserting that “the health and safety of guests are our main priority” and that all its Cape Verde properties “follow the strictest international health and hygiene standards, certified by external prestigious consultancy firms specialised in health and safety.”
Tui, for its part, says it is currently conducting its own internal investigation into the claims. The company told reporters it is “not in a position to provide a formal statement at this stage” as it still has not obtained access to the full official Cape Verde public health report into the outbreaks, which remains unpublished. The tour operator added that it provides targeted support to any customer who becomes unwell while staying at partner resorts, arranging access to appropriate medical care and assistance when needed.
Lawyers for the claimants say they are pursuing full damages from Tui, arguing the company had a core responsibility to ensure package holidays it sells do not expose customers to life-threatening health hazards. If an out-of-court settlement cannot be reached, Paul says the case will proceed to the UK High Court, where claimants are seeking millions of pounds in total compensation for illness, loss of life, and emotional harm.