TUI faces mass legal action after Cape Verde illness outbreak

More than 1,700 UK holidaymakers who fell ill while travelling to Cape Verde have joined legal action against TUI Group, in what lawyers describe as one of the largest mass illness claims involving a package tour operator in recent years.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, which is leading the case, told the BBC it continued to receive new enquiries, including reports of illness as recently as two weeks ago. The firm alleges that eight British nationals have now died following illnesses linked to holidays in the destination since 2023.

Jatinder Paul, a specialist international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “In all my years of doing this work, I have not seen a case this large and unfortunately so many that have died as a result of the illnesses.” He added that, if cases were not settled amicably, they could proceed to the High Court with potential damages running into millions of pounds.

Claimants report contracting gastrointestinal infections including E. coli, salmonella, and shigella, as well as parasitic infections such as cryptosporidium. According to the UK Health Security Agency, 112 cases of shigella and 43 of salmonella linked to travel to Cape Verde were recorded between October 2025 and early 2026.

The West African archipelago has grown in popularity, with TUI reporting more than one million customer visits since 2022. However, UK health officials issued travel health advice in February following reports of widespread gastric illness.

TUI said it was “deeply saddened” by the reported deaths and is investigating the claims, maintaining that customer safety remains its highest priority.