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20 people taken to hospital after suspected outbreak Incident took place at hotel in the popular resort of La Manga, near Murcia
A salmonella outbreak which hit Ireland and other countries has been linked back to restaurants serving kebab meat, European investigators revealed today. Stock image.
More than 100 tourists including a 15-month-old baby and seven children have fallen ill with suspected salmonella poisoning at a hotel in south-eastern Spain.
The youngsters were among 20 people said to have been taken to hospital following the incident at the hotel in the popular resort of La Manga near Murcia.
A field hospital was also set up at the seafront hotel after guests went down with tell-tale symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and in some cases fever.
The initial alert on Saturday referenced 28 cases but by yesterday the number of people with health problems had jumped to more than 100 of the 800 guests believed to be staying at the hotel.
A salmonella outbreak which hit Ireland and other countries has been linked back to restaurants serving kebab meat, European investigators revealed today. Stock image.
Today’s News in 90 seconds – 25th August 2025
The baby and children understood to be among those affected were taken to Santa Lucia Hospital in the nearby port city of Cartagena with ailments including fevers.
Health inspectors have taken samples from the kitchen at the hotel, which has now been closed, as part of an ongoing investigation.
Regional government health sources said overnight they were treating it as a probable salmonella poisoning outbreak.
It was not immediately clear how many British and Irish holidaymakers are staying at the hotel.
Several ambulances were filmed arriving and leaving the hotel from Saturday afternoon onwards, with subsequent reports pointing to some holidaymakers being put on hydration drips in their rooms while others were laid out on stretchers in hotel corridors.
One guest said her friend had been unable to leave her room from Saturday night onwards.
She said: “She started to feel unwell after lunch and at dinnertime because she had a stomach ache she only ate a yoghurt.
“We think it’s something to do with the fish because there were four of us at lunch but she was the only one that ate it. The rest of us ate meat and we’re fine.”
Salmonella poisoning effects typically include sudden diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps which appear between six hours and six days after infection and can last four to seven days.
In some cases, more severe symptoms such as bloody diarrhoea or high fever occur, requiring medical attention. Serious complications, though rare, can involve the infection spreading from the intestines to the bloodstream, causing severe illness or leading to long-term issues like reactive arthritis.
The hotel has yet to publish any official comment on its Instagram, Facebook or website.
The Irish Independent has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs for comment.