Pictured: British families in 'food poisoning' outbreak at TUI hotel

Pictured: British families at centre of ‘food poisoning’ outbreak at five-star TUI hotel in Turkey which left 25 holidaymakers with diarrhoea, vomiting and fever

• Holidaymakers have been struck down with illness at the Rixos Sungate resort
• One 14-year-old girl was hospitalised for three days after getting gastroenteritis

British families have described the misery they endured after an outbreak of suspected food poisoning at a five-star Tui hotel in Turkey left as many as 25 with severe bouts of diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.

More than two dozen holidaymakers have become ill at the Rixos Sungate resort in recent days, with at least one person – a 14-year-old schoolgirl – rushed to hospital with serious sickness.

Her furious family hit out at the hotel after staff apparently tried to blame the weather for the illness.  Another holidaymaker said he had been forced to stay in bed for 10 days at the resort where families pay up to £4,000 for package holidays with TUI.

Those caught in the chaos say it has affected everyone from a woman in her 60s to a 22-month-old baby.

Rebecca Wright, pictured here with husband David Bracewell, says her 14-year-old stepdaughter was hospitalised after getting ill at the resort

Liam Garnett, pictured, said he was struck down with illness and left bed-bound for 10 days

Among those struck down with the illness is the Bracewell family from Lancashire, whose 14-year-old daughter Charlie has ended up in hospital for three days with gastroenteritis.

Rebecca Wright, her husband David Bracewell and children Charlie, Oliver, ten, and Indie, three, now face a £3,000 hospital bill.

READ MORE HERE: Up to 25 British holidaymakers are struck down by food poisoning at five star TUI resort in Turkey 

Ms Wright told the Sun that after complaining to TUI she got a message saying the hotel had told them it may have been caused not by food poisoning, but by ‘weather changes, especially day and night temperature differences, seasonal factors, especially allergic reactions’.

The 37-year-old branded the response ‘laughable and unhelpful’, telling the outlet: ‘I’ve been absolutely exhausted and felt so ill.

‘There are more people coming down with it every day. It’s laughable they suggested it was the weather.

‘I am so worried about being able to fly home. I went out of my room for two hours and had to go back to bed feeling exhausted.

‘We are all petrified of the buffet. We all think it’s food or drink related. Literally, since my step daughter got ill we have lived off bananas.’

Another tourist, Liam Garnett, from Manchester, told the publication he had had a ‘nightmare’ holiday after getting ill along with his children Jude, six, and Eleanora, four. 

The 37-year-old said he was ill for 10 days and was so unwell he couldn’t leave his bed, adding: ‘I’m gutted. I’ve never been so poorly.’

It is claimed people at the hotel have set up a WhatsApp group, with one woman going out to do shopping for others, and guests say they are worried about eating from the buffet or drinking the water.

A number of families have been struck down with diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. Pictured: Medication taken by the families to help with their symptoms

The Rixos Sungate (pictured) is a five-star rated resort in Turkey where families spend as much as £4,000 on TUI package holidays

A spokesperson for TUI told MailOnline: ‘We are concerned to hear of a small number cases at Rixos Sungate in Turkey, as health and safety of our customers is our highest priority.

‘Our team at resort are in close contact with our guests and offering support where necessary.

‘Our health and safety team are investigating in close collaboration with the hotel and we will remain in frequent contact with our guests.

‘We’d like to reassure all customers that we regularly audit all of our hotels in respect to health and safety, including hygiene.’

On its website TUI classes the Rixos Sungate hotel as a ‘Platinum’ resort, meaning it is consistently scored highly by customers and gives it a five-star rating.

One of its selling points is that it is ‘tailored just for families’ – it comes with a waterpark attached and a kids club.

TUI’s website claims people staying at the hotel will have an English-speaking rep visiting the hotel during their stay, and they can get information and support on its app 24 hours a day.

Accor, which owns Rixos hotels, has been contacted for comment. 

Source: Read Full Article