More than 1,700 Britons have joined a class action lawsuit against travel company TUI after falling ill during a vacation in the Cape Verde Islands. In February 2026, a group lawsuit was filed before Judge Master Mark Gidden, who scheduled a six-week High Court trial for the end of 2027.

The personal injury case against TUI initially involved approximately 300 people who stayed at the 5-star Riu Palace Santa Maria Hotel in Cape Verde in 2022 and suffered stomach problems afterward, allegedly due to conditions at the hotel. However, Irwin Mitchell, the law firm representing the victims, reports that some claimants only became ill as recently as March 2026.

In February 2026, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) released findings from an investigation initiated in October 2025, which identified 112 cases of Shigella and 43 cases of Salmonella. In recent years, a total of eight Britons are believed to have died following holidays in Cape Verde.

Jatinder Paul, from Irwin Mitchell solicitors, told BBC Breakfast: “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.” “We are pursuing all of our cases against Tui. They had a responsibility in taking our clients away on a package holiday which was not going to cause them any illness. Unfortunately, it was the opposite of that.”