The first class action court case from holidaymakers who say they fell ill on holiday in Cape Verde is due to start in the High Court this week.
The case involves 300 British holidaymakers who suffered illnesses linked to stays at the same hotel on Cape Verde in summer 2022, represented by law firm Irwin Mitchell.
The court case will start on Wednesday, 4 February, when a timetable will be set out to hear the claim from guests who all stayed at the Riu Palace Santa Maria. All booked their holidays with TUI. TUI has denied responsibility.
Several other group actions involving UK holidaymakers who fell ill in Cape Verde after booking through TUI are expected to be listed in the coming months, Irwin Mitchell says.
Irwin Mitchell is representing more than 1,500 British holidaymakers who have suffered gastric illness linked to holidays in Cape Verde since 2022, including the families of six Britons who died, four of them within the last few months.
Elena Walsh, 64, from Birmingham, died in August 2025 after falling ill on holiday in Sal; Mark Ashley, 55, from Bedfordshire, who had diabetes, became ill in October 2025 then died at home on 12 November and Karen Pooley, 64, of Gloucestershire fell sick with gastric symptoms four days into her holiday, then slipped on water leaking from a fridge while going to the bathroom early in the morning. She was airlifted to Tenerife for urgent care on 16 October 2025 and died the next day.
The fourth was a 56-year-old man who died in November 2025 after suffering gastric illness while also staying at the Riu Karamboa.
The other two fatality cases Irwin Mitchell is representing are the death of a man in his 60s from Watford, who died in November 2024 after suffering gastric illness, and a woman who died in January 2023 after falling ill while holidaying in Cape Verde the previous November.
Serious Injury Lawyer Jatinder Paul said: “The number of holidaymakers to Cape Verde being struck down with serious and debilitating gastric illnesses is truly staggering. Nothing brings the gravity of this situation into sharper focus than these recent deaths.
“In my experience I’m used to supporting holidaymakers who have fallen ill at resorts across the globe, but I’ve never seen repeated and continued illness outbreaks at the same resorts on such a scale over such a period of time.”
He said families have ‘serious concerns about hygiene standards in Cape Verde’.
He added: “In the meantime, we call for meaningful and decisive action to get on top of the reported hygiene issues on the islands. Tour operators are responsible for ensuring the safety of those who have booked all-inclusive package holidays. Therefore, we urge them to work with the authorities to ensure the highest hygiene and safety standards are always upheld.”
Travel Gossip has approached TUI for a comment.
