Nightmare instead of dream holiday: over a thousand tourists sue British TUI after bacterial infections

cape verde - More than 1,100 holidaymakers are seeking legal action against travel operator TUI after suffering from severe bacterial infections during luxury holidays in Cape Verde.

Over 1,100 British tourists have joined a complaint against TUI, as reported by The Mirror. They all traveled to Cape Verde with the travel company over the past three years for a luxurious vacation, only to experience severe stomach and intestinal issues. Hundreds of them even had to be hospitalized, contracting bacterial infections like E. coli, salmonella, and shigella.

The group planning to sue the travel operator has been growing in size. Recently, an additional 40 tourists joined the lawsuit. Eleven of them were hospitalized after their stay at Riu Palace Santa Maria in Cape Verde this year. Over the years, nearly 400 guests fell ill at that hotel, with 60 cases occurring in the past year. Riu Funana reported 218 cases, while Riu Cabo Verde saw 192 cases.

One of the victims, 57-year-old British holidaymaker Diane Taylor, spoke out to The Mirror. She stayed at Riu Palace Santa Maria in August with her husband John, and after five days, she started experiencing severe symptoms like diarrhea, pain, chills, fatigue, and loss of appetite.

The couple found the hotel standards to be far below par, discovering cockroaches in their room and raising concerns about food safety. Diane expressed, "Without a doubt, this is a holiday we will never forget. It was the worst holiday ever. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. From the beginning, our room keys weren't activated, the room wasn't clean, and maintenance was poor. It was truly awful, and I have never felt so sick in my life. I couldn't eat due to the stomach cramps and nausea," to The Mirror.

"As I started feeling better, I searched for soft food and survived on sandwiches and crisps. The whole nightmare was not what I expected from a five-star hotel. On the last evening, upon reconsidering the food, we found that dishes like salmon weren't cooked properly, and we decided that the food wasn't worth the risk."

"We have seen so many terrible reports and stories of people staying at this hotel. I want to know what's going on and what's being done to prevent others from falling ill like I did."

Another holidaymaker, 44-year-old mother Sarah Tootell from Manchester, had a similarly troubling experience. In May, she traveled with her 9-year-old daughter Halle to Cape Verde for a week. Sarah, who had lost her husband six years prior, traveled alone with her daughter for the first time, planning to scatter her late husband's ashes during the trip.

Upon returning home from their holiday, things took a turn for the worse. Sarah started feeling flu-like symptoms, which escalated to severe diarrhea the following day. A visit to her doctor confirmed she had contracted the shigella bacteria.

Months later, Sarah is still struggling with eating normally. She shared, "This was the first time I traveled alone with Halle, and it took a lot of courage just to book, so I'm devastated by how it turned out."

"Despite numerous guest illness reports in Cape Verde hotels, it is shocking to think that three years after the initial reports, we still see large numbers of people suffering from debilitating illnesses," said Jatinder Paul, the international lawyer representing the vacationers.

"Our clients continue to report alarming similar illnesses and are understandably angry about how this situation could persist. Cape Verde appears to be a hotspot for these cases, and our clients have many questions."

"As the number of cases keeps rising, we are determined to help them get the answers they deserve. We welcome hearing from other guests who fell ill in these Cape Verde hotels this year as we investigate whether there is a common source of infection."