Key Summary
- Over 1,700 travellers are suing Tui after contracting serious gastric illnesses on package holidays to the Cape Verde islands.
- Legal firm Irwin Mitchell reports that at least eight British citizens have died following recent holidays to the African archipelago.
- UK health officials previously warned of a spike in cases involving E. coli, salmonella, and shigella linked to Cape Verde travel.
Travel company Tui is facing mass legal action after many people started becoming ill while on a holiday in the Cape Verde islands, BBC reports.
More than 1,700 people have now joined the legal action and their claims are being taken up by lawyers from Irwin Mitchell.
It is believed that at least eight Britons have now died in the recent years after holidaying at the West African archipelago, known for its beaches and sunshine.
In February, UK health officials warned Britons against travelling to Cape Verde following reports of stomach bugs.
Tui is investigating the claims and said it was "not in a position to provide a statement at this stage".
The travellers to this erstwhile Portuguese colony contracted gastric illnesses such as E coli, salmonella and shigella, and parasitic infections such as cryptosporidium, according to solicitors at Irwin Mitchell.
The affected people included children as young as six months old.
In February, an investigation by the UK Health Security Agency found that since October 2025, there had been 112 reported cases of shigella and 43 of salmonella linked to travel to Cape Verde.
