Law firm alleges outbreak of deadly disease at Spanish holiday complex

A law firm is calling for an investigation into an alleged outbreak of deadly Legionnaire’s Disease at a holiday apartment complex in Ibiza.

Irwin Mitchell is representing a group of British holidaymakers who claim to have been struck down by the potentially fatal illness while staying at the C’an Sanso Apartments in Santa Eulalia in September last year.

The law firm said that media reports in October revealed that one Briton had died at the resort after reportedly contracting Legionnaires’ Disease.

Irwin Mitchell said its clients, Philip Cox, 59, and his wife Karen, 55, from Teignmouth in Devon, and his sister and her partner, booked a two-week holiday at the apartments with Thomson Holidays .

Prior to the group flying home, Mr Cox fell ill, suffering with diarrhoea, a fever, shortness of breath and nausea.

When he returned to the UK he visited his local GP and the next day he was admitted to hospital, where he was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease and placed on an IV drip. He spent five days in hospital  and was off work for 5 weeks. 

His sister’s partner also suffered an unconfirmed illness whilst staying at the apartments and was prescribed medicine at a clinic in Ibiza.

Since returning to the UK, Mr Cox discovered that Lynne Balaam, from Cardiff, who stayed at the same C’an Sanso Apartments, died in hospital in Spain after reportedly contracting Legionnaires’ Disease.

Thomson Holidays has claimed that there is no clear link between the illness that caused Ms Balaam’s death and water contamination at the C’an Sanso apartments.

However, Irwin Mitchell claims the apartments were closed some days after Ms Balaam tested positive for Legionella and that since Mr Cox’s illness other guests have been relocated to alternative accommodation.

Personal injury lawyer Amandeep Dhillon, who has brought a civil case against Thomson to try to secure a financial settlement for Mr Cox and his group, said: "Legionnaires Disease is a very serious illness and can be fatal in some cases due to the respiratory complications it can cause.

"The immediate priorities now are ensuring anyone affected receives the help and support they need as well as identifying the cause of the illness as soon as possible.

"We have acted in several previous outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease. Our work on behalf of victims of fatal outbreaks at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Spain where sadly four victims died with many others left fighting for their lives, as well as closer to home in both Edinburgh and Stoke-on-Trent in recent years, means we have seen first-hand the devastating impact Legionnaires Disease can have on victims.

"The seriousness of such illnesses cannot be underestimated and it is vital that public health authorities in Spain, and the hotel management work to quickly to locate the source of these problems and provide holidaymakers with the answers they deserve.

"We shall be working closely with our Spanish colleagues to investigate this outbreak and establish the level of investigations that have to date been made by the Spanish authorities. On the basis of the information we have at the moment, any legal proceedings would be pursued in England.

"As we conduct our investigations we ask anyone who has stayed at the C’an Sanso Apartments and may be able to help provide information about the conditions, to get in contact with us as they may be able to help with the case."

Mr Cox  said: "The whole experience was extremely scary for myself, my wife and my children, as well as my grandchildren, as my symptoms quickly got worse when I got home and I ended up on oxygen and a drip in hospital.

"It’s the last thing which you expect when you go on holiday. It was frightening to find out that another holidaymaker at C’an Sanso Apartments had died after contracting the same illness that I had suffered.

"I was very frustrated that the tour operator told me my illness was an isolated case and that they would not be investigating further. I was extremely concerned that other people staying at the resort would not be aware of the issues. During our stay we noticed algae in the swimming pool and we felt the pool didn’t appear to be cleaned correctly.

"There was also a problem with the water in the apartment as the shower would run hot and cold.

"I am very lucky that I received the correct diagnosis and treatment so quickly, but I was still forced to take time off work. Hopefully, my legal team’s investigations will lead to answers about why I contracted Legionnaires’ Disease and help to ensure others do not have to go through the same experience I have endured."

Thomson issued the following statement:  "Thomson is sorry to hear that Mr Cox was unwell following his return from holiday.

"We believed there was a heightened risk of water contamination towards the end of October and, as a precaution, Thomson arranged alternative accommodation for all guests who were either staying in or due to travel to the hotel until the end of the season. Thomson also contacted all customers who stayed at the apartments in October to check if they felt unwell. As this case is now subject to legal proceedings it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.

"Thomson closely audits all of the hotels to which we operate to ensure they meet our high health and safety standards. We would like to reassure customers that situations such as this are extremely rare."

It aid the C’an Sanso apartments are closed for the winter and that it will carry out a full audit before they reopen in May.

The C’an Sanso apartment  complex has received a Certificate of Excellence by the travel review site TripAdvisor, which ranked it eighth out of 45 featured properties in Santa Eulalia.