The daughter of a Scottish holidaymaker who collapsed and died while on a dream break in Cape Verde says her family "owe" it to him to uncover the truth behind his death. Laurie Brownlie, 67, fell ill while enjoying a two-week all-inclusive holiday with his wife Glenna at the five-star Meliá Llana Beach Resort and Spa.
Death on holiday
Just three days after first complaining of feeling unwell, the retired IT engineer from West Calder, West Lothian, collapsed during dinner on June 8, 2024. Flight crew dining nearby desperately performed CPR for around 20 minutes, but despite their efforts Laurie could not be saved.
Now, two years later, his family have instructed specialist international injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell after discovering the scale of reports involving British tourists who became seriously ill while holidaying in Cape Verde. The firm says Laurie's loved ones are among around 600 new clients who have come forward in the last four months.
Legal action and hundreds of cases
Irwin Mitchell now represents more than 2,500 people who have reported suffering serious illnesses, including salmonella, E. coli and shigella, following Tui holidays to Cape Verde since the summer of 2022. The cases include the families of 10 people who died following gastric illness.
A death certificate issued by the Cape Verde authorities states Laurie died from a suspected heart attack. However, his family say they have been left with "so many unanswered questions". They are seeking answers over whether hygiene standards at the resort may have contributed to his illness and death. They have also raised concerns over reports of flies in food and say there was no defibrillator available at the hotel when Laurie collapsed.
Family's grief and quest for truth
Speaking on behalf of the family, daughter Erin said: "It remains difficult not to think how Dad should have been coming home with mum at the end of their holiday. Instead, our family was left devastated and trying to come to terms with losing him so suddenly in such traumatic circumstances.
"I can't imagine how harrowing it must have been for my mum seeing her soulmate pass away in front of her. We'll forever be grateful to those in the hotel who tried to help Dad, but what happened has left us with so many unanswered questions.
"Nothing will ever take away the pain of knowing he died so far from home. As well as grieving for Dad, we had to deal with the shock of flying out to be with Mum, not being able to see him, and then facing the journey of bringing him back to Scotland. It's something no family should ever have to go through.
"Dad was the head of our family and the person all of us looked up to for support and guidance. He was an amazing dad and nothing was ever too much trouble for him.
"Initially we thought what happened to Dad may be an isolated incident but we're hearing too many stories of people suffering serious illness or even dying on holidays in Cape Verde. The least we now owe Dad is to honour his memory by establishing the answers he deserves."
Embalming prevented post-mortem
The family had travel insurance, meaning Laurie's body was repatriated to Scotland after his death. However, according to Irwin Mitchell, the Cape Verde authorities embalmed Laurie's body before it was returned to the UK, meaning no post-mortem examination could be carried out after he arrived home. The family say they initially believed Laurie's death may have been an isolated tragedy. It was only after seeing hundreds of other reports of serious illness linked to holidays in Cape Verde that they decided to ask lawyers to investigate.
Lawyer and TUI response
Jatinder Paul, the specialist international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family and thousands of other affected holidaymakers, said: "Our focus is now on securing our clients the answers they deserve, and where needed, either the support they require to come to terms with their loss or the specialist rehabilitation they require to try and overcome the impact of their illnesses the best they can."
A spokesperson for TUI said: "As these matters now involve legal representatives, and any claim will be dealt with through the appropriate legal channels, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further on the specifics of either case."
