Hundreds Of Passengers Believed To Be Ill

Hundreds of passengers on the Thomson Spirit cruise liner are believed to have fallen ill, with many stopped from going ashore as the crew tried to contain the illness.

Specialists in travel law at Irwin Mitchell are now taking legal action on behalf of a growing number of passengers who travelled on the Iberian Delights voyage.

Madeline Nolan was one of the passengers affected. She ended up vomiting blood after being struck down by severe stomach cramps, sickness and diarrhoea which left her unable to leave her room for three days.

Lesley Jackson also said her holiday was ruined as she and her family were struck down by illness. When describing conditions on the ship she said: "People were dropping like flies. As the cruise went on, you could see trays of uneaten food building up in the corridors outside people’s cabins."

Suki Chhokar from Irwin Mitchell, which is already representing 17 of the passengers, said he was shocked by descriptions of the conditions on the ship urged tour operator Thomson to learn lessons from the outbreak and make sure future travellers are not affected by illness outbreaks.

"It's hard to imagine what it was like for these poor passengers on board this cruise, trapped on board and then having to watch their fellow travellers falling ill around them," he said.

"What happened on this cruise is simply appalling. We are very concerned about the reports of widespread illness and hygiene complaints on board. It certainly sounds like more could and should have been done to reduce the risk of passengers becoming ill.

"We have already been instructed by a large number of passengers who are deeply disturbed by their experiences on board the Iberian Delight. As well as suffering very unpleasant short term illnesses, there is a significant risk that some of our clients will go on to suffer long term or permanent illness through no fault of their own. We have invited Thomson to admit liability and hope that they will do so quickly and work with us to fairly compensate our clients. If not, legal proceedings are likely to be commenced, something which we and our clients would like to avoid if possible."