Tragic reality as ‘war zone’ stomach bug left eight dead in Cape Verde with 2,000 tourists taking legal action
Over 2,000 tourists are taking legal action following an outbreak of stomach illnesses in Cape Verde.
Eight people have died and many others are severely ill as holidaymakers have been catching infections such as Shigella, Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.
Some were even left with long-term health problems, and a few became so ill they could not work.
The legal claims are mainly against travel company TUI, which has taken over a million tourists to Cape Verde in recent years.
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Jatinder Paul, the lawyer representing the victims through Irwin Mitchell, told The Sun: “This could just be the tip of the iceberg. These are just the people that have contacted us.
“In all my years of doing this – and that’s about 20 years of representing people that have suffered serious injuries abroad – I’ve not come across a case such as this.”
“This litigation is on an absolute huge scale,” Paul added.
“It’s not something that I’ve ever seen before.”
Victims have complained about dirty hotels, unsafe food, and problems with the islands’ water systems, which may have helped spread the infections.
Paul said: “We’ve heard over and over again meat being uncooked. We’ve seen photographs of chicken that is quite clearly raw. We’ve seen flies on food, considerable flies on food.
“There’s literally a cocktail of different pathogens, which are very nasty for people that are already immunosuppressed.
“People are dying and coming back with serious infections like Shigella.”
Eight Brits who have died in Cape Verde
Eight British tourists have died after falling ill during or following holidays in Cape Verde in recent years, according to solicitors.
In 2024, Elena Walsh, 64, from Birmingham, died just two days after developing sickness and diarrhoea while on a family holiday.
Her husband Patrick told the BBC: "You don't expect to go on holiday and you all don't come back."
Later that year, Mark Ashley, 55, from Bedfordshire, became ill with stomach symptoms during his trip and died weeks after returning home.
Karen Pooley, 64, from Gloucester, also fell seriously ill and died after being airlifted to Tenerife.
Two unnamed men in their 50s, including a firefighter, died in 2025.
Another man in his 60s from Watford died in 2024, along with a 71-year-old woman who suffered a fatal heart attack after returning to the UK.
Earlier, in 2022, Jane Pressley, 62, died two months after falling ill on holiday.
A TUI UK & I spokesperson told LADbible: “We are deeply saddened by the reports of these tragic losses and extend our sincere condolences to the families affected.
"While we cannot comment on individual cases, customer health and safety is always our highest priority. We have established procedures in place to support any customer who becomes unwell while on holiday, including access to appropriate medical care and assistance in resort.
"To provide that support, it is important that illness is reported to our teams while customers are in destination. Where this does not happen, it limits the assistance we are able to offer at the time.
"We continue to follow FCDO advice and engage with hotel partners and relevant authorities where appropriate.”
Anish Vij