Tunisia murder victims’ families ‘likely’ to sue Thomson
Thomson faces the threat of legal action from the families of some of the 30 Britons killed in Tunisia last summer.
During a pre-inquest hearing held in London yesterday, a representative of 16 of the families said civil claims were ‘likely’ to be lodged in future.
The holidaymakers were staying at Port El Kantaoui north of Sousse last June when they were shot by Seifeddine Rezgui, along with eight other victims.
The court was told that the families were concerned the British victims, who had all travelled with Thomson to Sousse, had not be warned of the likelihood of a terrorist attack in Tunisia.
They have asked that the coroner, Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith, calls for holidaymakers to be warned of the risk of terrorism in destinations around the world in future.
Measures could include a ‘traffic light system’ in holiday brochures, it was suggested.
The court heard allegations that holidaymakers were being sold travel insurance without cancellation cover related to the risk of a terror attack and that travel companies’ financial penalties discouraged clients from cancelling trip to potentially dangerous destinations.
Representatives for Thomson told the court that the company disputed the allegations.
At yesterday’s hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, the date for the full inquests into the deaths of all 30 British holidaymakers killed in Sousse was pushed back to next year.
The coroner apologised to the families for the delay but he said the inquests couldn’t be held in November as planned as there was ‘an enormous amount of work to be done’.
The court was told that the Metropolitan Police had received 750,000 files from 40 computers and mobile phones seized by Tunisian investigators and officers are preparing reports on each of the victims.
The coroner ruled that the inquiry should assess security at the beach and the RIU Imperial Marhaba Hotel, where the victims were shot, before and after a prior attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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