Death of UK girl from bacterial infection in Egyptian hotel causes controversy

The well-known travel company 'Tui' has faced severe criticism regarding the tragic death of a British toddler due to an E. coli bacterial infection at a luxury hotel in Egypt.

One-year-old Ariella Mann fell ill and died while staying at the five-star Jaz Makadi Aquaviva hotel in Hurghada. Her parents state that they are deeply distressed that they were not informed about previous cases of similar illnesses reported from the same hotel.

On December 21 last year, Ariella and her family arrived at this hotel for a two-week holiday through Tui. During the second week of their holiday, the girl developed symptoms such as high fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration, and received treatment at the hotel's medical center. However, after returning to the UK on January 5, 2026, her condition worsened, and she was admitted to the intensive care unit and placed in an induced coma. Subsequent tests confirmed that she had an E. coli infection, which led to her developing HUS (haemolytic uraemic syndrome), a severe condition causing kidney failure. She passed away on January 10.

Her father, 37-year-old Lee Mann, states that they spent approximately £6,000 on this holiday and an additional £2,500 for the girl's medical treatment in Egypt. The 34-year-old mother, Jade Oakes, says that if they had known about other sick guests beforehand, they would never have taken their child to that hotel.

Before this tragedy, two other British toddlers also suffered from this severe illness at the same hotel. On August 30, 2025, six-year-old Arthur Broughton was also admitted to the intensive care unit, and he has since had to relearn how to walk and talk. Previously, in July 2024, Chloe Crook, who was then two years old, also became critically ill and fell into a coma. Even two years later, she is still receiving hospital treatment.

Representing all three families, the law firm Irwin Mitchell is taking legal action against Tui. Lawyer Jatinder Paul points out that Tui was aware of the health risks at this hotel for 18 months prior to Ariella's death. Notably, in 2017, the same law firm also arranged confidential compensation for 125 tourists who contracted Salmonella and E. coli infections at this very hotel. Furthermore, Tui has faced legal issues due to a series of similar illnesses that occurred in Cape Verde.

Issuing a statement regarding these incidents, Tui expressed deep regret over Ariella's death. They stated that approximately 80,000 customers have been sent to the hotel since 2022, but only about 0.3% of them have fallen ill. However, the company further stated that an independent health and safety investigation has been launched into the matter, and they will provide full cooperation to the relevant authorities, including the UK Health Security Agency. Tui also indicated in its statement that they were not informed about Arthur's illness until recently.