Tourists were poisoned en masse in a hotel in Hurghada in Egypt. This happened back in 2019, however, the victims are “ripe” to file a lawsuit against the TUI tour operator and the hotel only now. Now holidaymakers are demanding damages, British media reported.
A group of 36 British holidaymakers have said they will sue TUI because their holiday was ruined by gastrointestinal illnesses they allegedly contracted at the Jaz Aquamarine Hotel in Hurghada between January and October 2019. According to them, the illness was long and unpleasant. Three years ago, four of the sick guests were hospitalized, eight were found to have salmonella, and one had E. coli and shigella. It was noted that all the victims had the same symptoms: they all experienced abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrhea, sweating and lethargy.
One of the victims said that she fell ill just two days after arriving at the hotel, and upon arrival home, she and her family had a long recovery after being poisoned in an Egyptian hotel: “When we arrived, our first impressions were good. However, there were many things wrong inside. I remember how the food in the buffet was left open and at times it was warm. The same utensils were used to handle both raw and cooked food, and children often touched the food. There were flies around. I also remember that our sheets weren't washed for eight days. Due to the fact that we got sick so early on the holiday, we were not able to enjoy it to the fullest. All we need now is some answers about how it happened.”
There were also comments from other tourists who stayed three years ago in the same hotel:
- For example, from honeymooners: “While we were there, we noticed that the hotel was closing the pools for a long time.
“We were also concerned about the mistreatment of food in restaurants. We even saw some people take food, taste it, and then put it back. After we got sick we spoke to our reps and hotel staff but we feel like they just deceived us and tried to say that it was because we were not used to heat or spicy food. But we were sure that this was not the reason.
I have never felt so bad, but I still got a huge shock when I found out that I had E. coli and a stomach infection. This is not what you expect to experience on your honeymoon. Our vacation was ruined and my husband and I are still suffering from stomach problems.
While nothing makes up for what we've been through, we just want answers now and see if there's anything else we could have done to prevent it from happening to others.” - From a couple of backpackers who fell ill two days after arriving at the hotel and only got better three weeks later: “I remember feeling really bad and the cramps were unbearable. I'm a grown man and they almost brought me to tears. It should have been a great trip, but my illness ruined everything. When my wife went to a pharmacy in Hurghada, they asked her if we were from Jaz Aqua before she even said what the problem was. She also heard other campers discussing getting sick there.”
In this regard, the affected tourists felt that they had no other choice but to start legal proceedings with the hotel and the tour operator in order to get answers to their questions. Hannah Clifford, the head of one of the UK law firms, volunteered to protect their interests. She noted that she was worried that so many people were poisoned in an Egyptian hotel. And the fact that diseases have caused more serious health problems in the long run, and does give a good chance of a positive outcome.
In turn, a representative of TUI issued the following statement: “We are very sorry to hear about what happened at the Jaz Aquamarine hotel. Since this is now a legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. We would like to assure customers that we are regularly reviewing all of our hotels for health and safety, including hygiene.” Representatives of the Jaz Aquamarine hotel have not yet commented for the British media.
On the other hand, there are many cases when British tourists often filed claims against hotels with a false accusation of causing harm to health. At the initiative of law firms, tourists turned to the courts, which put both hotels and tour operators in a difficult position. In an attempt to prevent this, the British government passed a law imposing fines and imprisonment for those who reported the disease and blamed the hotel for its occurrence. As for hotels in Turkey, they have long had to fight UK lawsuits, with many paying hefty compensatory fines.
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