Mum dies at ‘unhygienic’ luxury hotel on islands where almost 1,000 tourists have fallen ill

The family of a mum who died on holiday have hit out at the luxury hotel they were staying at as 'unhygienic', and it's located on an island where almost 1,000 tourists fell ill in the span of just a few years.

Elena Walsh headed for a five-star resort in Cape Verde on 1 August this year to celebrate her husband's 60th birthday and her son getting engaged.

However, around a week into the holiday the Birmingham woman started feeling unwell as she suffered from sickness, diarrhoea and heavy sweats, with her condition deteriorating over the next couple of days.

The 64-year-old was pronounced dead on 10 August, and her family have claimed their luxury hotel was 'unhygienic' and the care Elena received 'chaotic'.

Her husband Patrick said he'd 'never seen Elena so poorly' in their almost 40 years together, and then after several hours of not being told what was happening he was informed that his wife's 'organs were failing and there was nothing they could do for her'.

64-year-old Elena Walsh went on holiday to Cape Verde to celebrate her husband's birthday and her son's engagement (SWNS)

The family have instructed medical negligence lawyers to look into Elena's case, and Irwin Mitchell serious injury lawyer Jatinder Paul said his firm had represented 200 people who'd fallen ill at the Riu Cabo Verde hotel in the past three years.

“Elena’s loved ones are devastated by her death and the sudden circumstances surrounding it," he said.

"Understandably, they have a number of questions about how she contracted her illness and the care she received in Cape Verde."

Last year he said that almost 1,000 people had fallen ill at one of the several luxury hotels across Cape Verde, with the Irwin Mitchell lawyer suggesting they weren't 'isolated incidents'.

He had said: "The sheer volume of clients we’re continuing to see coming forward having fallen ill during stays in Cape Verde over the last three years is incredibly concerning."

An inquest into the 64-year-old's death will take place at a later date.

Walsh is not the only person to take a holiday to Cape Verde and die after falling ill while on the island in recent years, as back in 2022 Jane Pressley got ill two days into her trip to celebrate her 62nd birthday.

The family have hired a lawyer who has said that hundreds of tourists have fallen ill on Cape Verde in recent years (SWNS)

While her husband Michael recovered from his illness, Jane's condition deteriorated and shortly after her return to the UK she was hospitalised and then died on 5 January, 2023.

Paul had represented her widower in that case as well, and said he would be representing 350 holidaymakers in a suit claiming that they fell ill at the same luxury hotel on Cape Verde.

Elena's husband Patrick said: "I’m not sure we’ll ever get over what happened to Elena, but we have so many concerns about what caused her death.

"Elena was the heart and soul of our family."

LADbible Group has contacted Riu Cabo Verde for comment.