Tunisia terror attack survivors and relatives reach settlement with holiday firm
A man from Bodmin died as he tried to shield his wife on the beach
Last updated 6th Jan 2022
Survivors and relatives of the British tourists killed in the 2015 Tunisia beach massacre have agreed a settlement with travel firm Tui UK.
Seifeddine Rezgui killed 38 people, including 30 Britons, at the Riu Imperial Marhaba hotel complex on the Sousse coast, with dozens more injured, on June 26th that year.
59-year-old Stephen Mellor from Bodmin was among those who lost their lives, he died trying to shield his wife Cheryl on the beach.
The victims alleged that Tui UK was responsible for safety and security breaches at the hotel, which the company denied, and a trial of liability issues was expected to take place at the High Court in February.
However, on Thursday, the tour operator and Irwin Mitchell, the law firm representing more than 80 victims, said in a joint statement that they have reached a settlement “without admission of liability or fault”, bringing the legal action to an end.
They said: “The tragic events of 26 June 2015 in Tunisia shocked and devastated us all and changed the lives of those affected forever. Tui has always expressed heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those caught up in the terrorist attack that day and continue to extend deepest sympathy.
“The claimants have fought tirelessly to understand how the attack happened and to seek to ensure that lessons have been learned so that other families are not affected by similar tragedy.
“Tui has worked collaboratively with the claimants and their representatives, Irwin Mitchell, to reach a settlement without admission of liability or fault and in recognition of the wholly exceptional circumstances of the case, and in the hope that it will go some way to assisting the claimants.
“Tui appreciates how difficult it must be to move on from such a horrific incident but hopes today will provide the opportunity for those affected to start to do so.”
In 2017 the coroner conducting the inquests of the 30 Britons who died in the attack ruled they were unlawfully killed.
However, Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith ruled against a finding of “neglect” by Tui, or the owners of the Riu Imperial Marhaba.