In June of 2015, a devastating terror attack on a Tunisian beach in the tourist resort of Port El Kantanoui killed 38 people, 30 of who were British. There were also a number of other victims who sustained life changing injuries.
At the initial inquest into the deaths of the British victims, whilst it was found that they had been "unlawfully killed"; a coroner had rejected a finding of negligence against the tour operators and the hotel.
However, it was reported last month that a number of British victims and the relatives of those who were fatally injured in the terror attack have raised civil proceedings against travel company TUI UK Limited.
The action is based on the alleged lack of information provided to their customers at the time of booking their holiday regarding the threat level in Tunisia for such an attack to occur. Many of the families affected were not made aware of Foreign and Commonwealth official travel advice. The case will also highlight that TUI’s written brochure and 2015 website did not inform them of the high threat level from terrorism in Tunisia at the time of booking.
The security at the five-star Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Sousse is also being questioned with Judge Loraine-Smith ruling the Tunisian police response as
at best shambolic and at worst cowardly
It is also alleged that there was no procedure in place for the security guards at the hotel to follow in the event of a terrorist attack along with limited CCTV coverage compared to nearby hotels.
A TUI UK spokesman said:
We remain truly saddened by what happened on that fateful day in Sousse in June 2015 when 30 of our customers lost their lives in a terrorist attack which started on a public beach. Our thoughts remain with all of those who were affected by the horrific incident.
As this is now subject to legal proceedings it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage except to say we will fully co-operate with the judicial process.
If successful, the compensation will go some way to help and support the victims and relatives of this devastating attack.
