Total number of tourists left seriously ill on 5-star ‘holidays from hell’ hits 1,100
More than 1,100 people are part of a lawsuit against TUI after becoming unwell with potentially life-threatening conditions during holidays to Cape Verde.
Lawyers represent 1,107 people, who had all booked trips via the travel company and were stuck down down with serious gastric illnesses on the African island in the past three years.
These illnesses include E.coli, salmonella and shigella - a bacterial infection - which in severe cases can prove to be fatal.
Hundreds - including children as young as three - were left hospitalised as a result of contracting the infections after their luxury TUI breaks turned into 'holidays from hell.'
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One of the people seeking legal action is Sarah Tootell, a mum from Bury, Greater Manchester.
The 44-year-old went to Cape Verde with her nine-year-old daughter Halle on 8 May for a week-long stay. But, during their trip back to the UK, Sarah began feeling feverish and generally unwell.
The following day, she started suffering from severe sickness and diarrhoea, which tests later confirmed was caused by shigella.
She said: "This was the first time I had travelled on my own with Halle and took a lot of courage to book in the first place, so I’m devastated by the way things have turned out.
"I had concerns about the food, including the number of animals around and flies on some of the dishes left out.
"I felt unwell on the trip home on 16 May and by the next day I had the most horrendous diarrhoea and sickness that just went on and on and the stomach cramps were terrible.
"I’m pretty fit but you worry what would happen if someone more vulnerable went down with such an illness and people need the facts."
Diane Taylor, 57, an accounts co-ordinator from Aberdeen, also fell ill during her stay on the African island.
Like Sarah, she was concerned about the hygiene standards at her hotel after finding cockroaches in her room.
"It was really terrible and for those several days, I have never felt so ill in my life. I wasn’t able to eat due to the stomach cramps and nausea," she said.
"The whole nightmare wasn’t what I was expecting for a five-star hotel. I want to know what’s going on and what is being done to stop others from falling ill like I did."
And, Josephine Black, 53, a council worker and her husband, Graham Lamont, 59, an NHS training manager, both became unwell after a week-long trip earlier this year.
"We’ve never tried five star or all-inclusive before and this seemed a perfect time. We couldn’t have been more wrong.
"This is the last thing you expect from a five-star holiday and we now wish we’d never been."
Jatinder Paul, an international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: "Despite all the reports of illness from guests who have stayed at hotels in Cape Verde, it’s staggering to think that three years after the first reports, we’re continuing to see significant numbers coming forward reporting debilitating illness.
"Our clients continue to report alarmingly similar illnesses and are understandably angry at how this state of affairs has been allowed to continue.
"As the numbers of cases continues to mount, we’re determined to help them secure the answers they deserve.
The LADbible group has contacted TUI for comment.
Bec Oakes