Paradise promised sun-soaked beaches, all-inclusive luxury, and endless cocktails under swaying palms. For hundreds of British holidaymakers, Cape Verde—the West African island chain marketed as a winter escape—delivered something far deadlier: a relentless killer bug that turned dream vacations into nightmares of agony, hospitalization, and, for at least six families, unbearable grief.

In the space of just four months in 2025, four British tourists—ordinary people seeking relaxation—succumbed to severe gastric illnesses contracted at glittering five-star resorts. Elena Walsh, 64, a part-time nurse and devoted mother from Birmingham, arrived full of excitement for a family trip. Within days, crippling stomach pain, violent diarrhea, fever, and vomiting overtook her. Rushed to a local hospital described by survivors as a “war zone”—lines of dripping IVs, chaos, and overwhelmed staff—she never recovered. She died in August 2025.

Mark Ashley, 55, a forklift driver from Bedfordshire, booked a £3,000-plus getaway with his wife Emma through TUI, expecting paradise at the Riu Palace Santa Maria on Sal. By October, he was violently ill. Emma reported the symptoms via the TUI app on October 9. Mark collapsed at home after returning and was pronounced dead minutes after reaching hospital in November. Karen Pooley, 64, from Gloucestershire, traveled with a friend to the Riu Funana resort for a £3,000 fortnight starting October 7. She too fell victim to the same tormenting symptoms and died later that month. A 56-year-old man from Chester suffered an identical fate in November.

These four deaths form the core of a chilling pattern: at least six British nationals have lost their lives after holidays in Cape Verde since January 2023, with the latest cluster hitting hardest in the second half of 2025. The culprit? A highly contagious bacterial infection—primarily shigella, spread through fecal-oral contamination—often compounded by salmonella and E. coli. Shigella thrives in poor hygiene conditions: contaminated food, unclean water, flies swarming buffets, stray cats roaming kitchens, and food left exposed in the tropical heat. Survivors describe resorts where raw or undercooked dishes sat untouched for hours, pools and beaches teemed with holidaymakers, and basic sanitation appeared neglected.

The outbreak exploded at the end of 2025, infecting hundreds—possibly thousands—of visitors to RIU’s chain of five-star all-inclusive properties: Riu Palace Santa Maria, Riu Cabo Verde, Riu Funana, and others on Sal and Boa Vista. Returning Brits flooded UK hospitals; the UK Health Security Agency logged 137 confirmed shigella cases between October and December 2025 alone, with 80% linked to recent Cape Verde travel. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control noted spillover into the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, and France. Hospitals in Cape Verde, already strained, became scenes of horror: patients lined up for IV fluids, some too weak to stand, others describing the facilities as chaotic and under-resourced.

What began as isolated complaints has mushroomed into one of the largest travel-related legal battles in recent memory. Law firm Irwin Mitchell now represents the families of all six deceased Brits, plus more than 1,500 other holidaymakers launching personal injury claims against TUI, the dominant tour operator for these packages. Families allege breaches of the Package Travel Regulations 2018: failure to ensure safe food, drink, and accommodation. Multiple group actions are heading to the High Court, with the first major case—involving 300 claimants from a 2022 outbreak at Riu Palace Santa Maria—set for hearings soon. TUI insists it is investigating the claims but has yet to issue a detailed public response.

Survivors’ accounts are gut-wrenching. One honeymooner warned: “Don’t go to Cape Verde.” Another described friends returning “in a box.” Relatives speak of “complete shock,” of expecting relaxation but receiving devastation. “When you book a holiday, you don’t expect your loved one to come home in a coffin,” said one grieving companion. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office ramped up warnings in December 2025, urging strict hygiene vigilance—handwashing, avoiding street food, sticking to bottled water—while describing local medical care as “very basic and limited.”

Cape Verde’s tourism boom—promoted as an affordable, sunny alternative to the Canaries—now faces a devastating backlash. Reviews on travel sites plummet with tales of “holidays from hell”; many Brits cancel bookings outright. The islands, once hailed for pristine beaches and welcoming vibes, are suddenly synonymous with danger. Questions swirl: How could five-star resorts allow such contamination? Why did warnings go unheeded? And how many more families will be shattered before accountability arrives?

As lawsuits pile up and investigations deepen, the sunny postcard image of Cape Verde has cracked wide open. For six British families, the paradise they chased became a permanent tragedy. The islands’ golden sands hide a darker truth: sometimes, the deadliest threats lurk not in the waves, but on the buffet table.