(Picture: Irwin Mitchell / SWNS)
At the very least six British tourists have died after contracting a killer stomach bug in Cape Verde.
An outbreak of a highly contagious bacterial infection called shigella has hit 1000’s of tourists within the West African island.
Hospitals flooded with patients have been described as a ‘war zone’, with 4 British holidaymakers in Cape Verde resorts dying within the last three months.
Greater than 1,500 UK tourists have instructed specialist lawyers to take legal motion after becoming sick on trips booked through tour operator TUI.
Amongst them are the families of six individuals who died following all-inclusive breaks on the island.
Photographer: REDA
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Source: Universal Images Group Editorial
Dad of two Mark Ashley, 55, developed severe stomach pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever just three days into his two-week stick with wife Emma in October.
The self-employed forklift truck driver from Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, then collapsed a number of weeks after coming back from the five-star RIU Palace Santa Maria resort in Sal.
He was rushed to hospital but was tragically pronounced dead on arrival.
Emma said the family were in ‘complete shock’ and are demanding answers about how the £3,000 holiday went so incorrect.
She said: ‘We went to Cape Verde expecting a soothing break, but Mark became violently unwell and never recovered. The last couple of months have been unbearable, and our family won’t ever be the identical again.’
The mum said food on the hotel was often ‘lukewarm’ and ‘sanitation seemed poor’.
She also claimed that drinking water was stored outside within the sun.
Emma said she notified TUI of Mark’s illness on the corporate’s app, but they’ve not received any meaningful help.
Investigations into his death are still ongoing and it has been reported to the coroner.
One other British holidaymaker who died during a stay in Cape Verde was Karen Pooley.
The mum-of-two became sick while staying at RIU Funana resort of Sal with a friend in October.
The 54-year-old also broke her leg slipping on water within the hotel and was transferred to an area clinic.
Her condition deteriorated and died five days after being airlifted to an intensive care unit in Tenerife.
Her reason for death was given as multi-organ failure, sepsis, cardiac arrest and a broken left leg.
Karen’s husband Andy, 62, said their family were ‘utterly heartbroken’ by her death.
He added: ‘We’re devastated and struggling to know how she went on holiday and never got here home.’
Andy also slammed the medical care she received and criticised TUI for ‘poor’ communication.
Elena Walsh, 64, and an anonymous 54-year-old British man also died in Cape Verde within the last three months.
(Picture: Irwin Mitchell/PA Wire)
All 4 had underlying but manageable health conditions and were in one in all the six hotels run by the Spanish chain RIU.
What’s shigella?
Shigella is brought on by contaminated faeces and is tramitted from food, water or person-to-person.
It’s common in young children and frequently clears up in a number of days.
Nevertheless the bowel infection will be serious for individuals with underlying medical conditions.
The UK Health Security Agency recorded 137 cases of shigella between October and December, with a staggering 80 per cent of cases being patients who recently returned from Cape Verde.
The outbreak has led the Foreign Office to warn tourists concerning the risks of travelling to the vacation hotspot.
It shouldn’t be the primary time shigella struck the island, with an outbreak being recorded in 2022.
A lawyer representing the families of the victims, Jatinder Paul of Irwin Mitchell, said the variety of tourists contracting the bowel infection was ‘truly staggering’.
He said: ‘Each case isn’t a statistic; it’s a human story of how lives have been turned the other way up.’
RIU Hotels & Resorts told The Sunday Times: ‘Local authorities and business leaders identified critical areas for immediate motion, including the elimination of standing water sources and the implementation of intensive pest control plans to combat the proliferation of flies and mosquitoes.
‘Riu Hotels and Resorts will proceed to work closely with the local government and health authorities to make sure the destination continues to supply the very best standards of wellbeing to all its guests.’
A spokeswoman for TUI told the newspaper: ‘While we cannot comment on individual cases, customer safety stays at the guts of our operations. With industry-leading standards and robust measures in place, we’re committed to making sure customers are protected wherever they’re.
‘Tui follows FCDO advice for all destinations and, through our global health and safety management programme, conducts investigations in co-operation with hotel partners and relevant authorities.’
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