Why Are 1,700 Brits Suing Tui Over Cape Verde Illness?

More than 1,700 British holidaymakers are pursuing a lawsuit against Tui over illnesses they contracted on Cape Verde package holidays, with the law firm Irwin Mitchell alleging the operator failed to protect customers from bacterial and parasitic infections at hotels on Sal and Boa Vista. The Tui Cape Verde illness lawsuit is set for a six-week trial at the UK High Court in late 2027, and lawyers say damages could reach millions of pounds.¹²

What the Claimants Say Happened

The action grew out of a group of roughly 300 British tourists who fell ill at the Riu Palace Santa Maria on Sal in the summer of 2022. Since then, hundreds more travelers have reported serious illness during or after Cape Verde holidays, with infections including Shigella sonnei, Salmonella, E. coli, and the parasite Cryptosporidium. Symptoms have ranged from severe diarrhea, vomiting, and fever to longer-term complications such as post-infectious bowel disease.³

The UK Health Security Agency recorded 158 confirmed Shigella sonnei cases and 43 Salmonella cases in British travelers between October 2025 and February 2026 alone.³ The wider outbreak has spread further: the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control counted more than 1,000 confirmed and possible cases across 13 EU countries, the UK, and the United States between September 2022 and March 2026.⁴

Irwin Mitchell has named around ten hotels and resorts linked to the illnesses, the majority operated by the Riu chain and sold as Tui packages. The properties with the largest numbers of affected holidaymakers are the Riu Palace Santa Maria, Riu Funana (183), Riu Cabo Verde (105), Melia Dunas (70), Sol Dunas / TUI Suneo Dunas (64), Riu Palace Boavista (57), TUI Blue Cabo Verde (32), and Riu Touareg (25). Riu Karamboa and Melia Llana have also been identified.⁵

Riu Hotels and Resorts has said its Cape Verde properties “follow the strictest international health and hygiene standards, certified by external prestigious consultancy firms.”¹

Deaths Linked to the Outbreak

Lawyers believe at least eight British nationals have died following illnesses contracted on Cape Verde holidays since January 2023.⁶ Jane Pressley, 62, from Gainsborough, died three weeks after returning from a 2022 holiday.⁷ Elena Walsh, 64, from Birmingham, fell ill at the Riu Cabo Verde on August 8, 2025, and died in hospital two days later; a UK post-mortem listed heart failure and gastroenteritis as causes of death.¹ Mark Ashley, 55, from Bedfordshire, developed stomach pains, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever in October 2025 and collapsed at home on November 12, 2025. Karen Pooley, 64, from Gloucester, contracted a gastric illness at the Riu Funana on October 11, 2025, broke her leg after slipping on water leaking from a fridge, was airlifted to Tenerife, and died the next day from sepsis and multi-organ failure. The victims were described as having had underlying but manageable health conditions before traveling.

The Legal Case Against Tui

The claim rests on the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, which make the tour operator responsible for the proper performance of all services in a package holiday, including those delivered by third-party hotels. Under that framework, Tui can be held liable for hygiene and food safety failings at supplier hotels even though it does not own them.⁸

The specific allegations include undercooked meat at poolside barbecues, buffets surrounded by flies, and mold in hotel rooms. The BBC obtained footage showing some of these conditions.¹ One claimant, Nicky Morley, reported chronic bowel problems years after contracting Shigella at the Riu Palace Santa Maria.⁹

UK courts have held that meeting local standards is not a complete defense for a tour operator. In the 2021 case of Tui v. Morgan, local regulations were described as an “important signpost” but not the final measure of whether the operator exercised reasonable care.¹⁰ That precedent matters here because a Cape Verde National Institute of Public Health investigation later detected Shigella sonnei in irrigation water used to wash fresh vegetables and fruit at hotels on Sal and Boa Vista, though drinking water tested safe. Hotels were ordered to reinforce disinfection of fresh produce.¹¹

Tui’s Response

Tui has formally denied liability. The company said it is “deeply saddened” by the reported deaths and is “investigating the claims,” and that “customer health and safety is always our highest priority.”⁶ Tui has also said it does not have access to a full, unpublished Cape Verde government health report, and it has urged customers to report illness while at the destination so it can help them in real time.¹ Beyond that denial, the company has not detailed its legal defense publicly, saying it continues to “follow FCDO advice and engage with hotel partners and relevant authorities where appropriate.”

The Cape Verde government has said there is “no declared outbreak” and that the country maintains “active and coordinated health surveillance systems.” The Ministry of Health argued that illness following travel does not prove infection was contracted on the islands.¹²¹³

Where the Case Stands

Irwin Mitchell filed formal High Court proceedings on behalf of the original Riu Palace Santa Maria group, and the first case management hearing took place on February 4, 2026, before Master Mark Gidden in London. At that hearing, Master Gidden scheduled a six-week High Court trial for the end of 2027.¹⁰²

The claimant pool has kept growing. By April 2026, Irwin Mitchell reported more than 1,700 individuals had joined, with new cases added as recently as March 2026, and further group actions expected to be listed in the coming months.¹¹⁴ No settlements have been reached. If the claims cannot be resolved through negotiation, Irwin Mitchell has said damages ordered by a judge could reach “millions of pounds.”

If You Got Sick on a Tui Cape Verde Holiday

The lawsuit is open to affected holidaymakers, and Irwin Mitchell continues to add claimants. A few practical points from what has been reported so far:

The claims are grounded in the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, so the relevant question is whether you booked a package holiday through Tui, not whether the hotel itself is a Tui-branded property. Riu, Melia, and Sol properties sold through Tui packages are included.⁸
Tui has emphasized that customers should report illness at the destination so it can assist them at the time, which also creates a contemporaneous record.¹
Irwin Mitchell has warned affected holidaymakers not to accept early settlement offers from tour operators without first understanding their legal rights.⁶

Current Travel Warnings

The health warnings are still live. As of mid-2026, no new Shigella cases among UK travelers had been recorded since February 19, 2026, but the UKHSA’s travel health warning for Cape Verde remained in effect.¹⁵ The ECDC also renewed its travel warning in March 2026, assessing the ongoing risk to travelers visiting the Santa Maria region on Sal as moderate.¹³

1
BBC. More Than 1,700 Join Legal Action Over Cape Verde Illnesses
2
Travel Tomorrow. Over 1,700 Brits Join Class Action Against Tui Over Cape Verde Illness Outbreak
3
GOV.UK. UKHSA Reminds Travellers to Cape Verde To Protect Against Gastrointestinal Infections
4
ECDC. Epidemiological Update: Shigellosis and Other Gastrointestinal Infections in Travellers
5
Irwin Mitchell. Lawyers Reveal Cape Verde Hotels at Centre of Holiday Illness Outbreak
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ITV News. More Than 1,700 Brits Taking Legal Action Over Tui Cape Verde Illnesses
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The Week. Cape Verde Tourist Deaths Lawsuit
8
Irwin Mitchell. Cape Verde Group Claims
9
ITV News. Tui Holidaymaker Suffering From Stomach Problems Years After Scary Sickness
10
Travel Weekly. First High Court Hearing Into Illnesses at Cape Verde Hotels To Be Heard This Week
11
Cabo-Verde.cv. Shigella in Cape Verde Hotels Linked to Irrigation Water
12
BBC. Cape Verde Illness Investigation
13
Food Safety News. ECDC Renews Cape Verde Warning as Illnesses Continue
14
Irwin Mitchell. Lawyers Investigate Four Further Deaths Illness in Cape Verde
15
Food Safety News. UK Updates Number of Infections Linked to Travel to Cape Verde