Emergency flights to rescue stranded Brits
Rescue flights were due to arrive in Mexico today as operators battled to evacuate thousands of tourists stranded in hurican-hit Cancun and the Yucatan peninsula.
Around 8,500 UK holidaymakers in the region, many holed-up in rescue shelters, faced punishing winds and rains which tore through hotels, residential homes and buildings.
Conditions in the shelters were said to be quickly deteriorating.
All holiday to the regions have been cancelled until the end of the month with customers offered refunds or alternative holidays.
A Thomson spokeswoman said 3,000 of its customers were in the affected area, the vast majority in Cancun. Rescue flights, which left at the weekend but were unable to land in Cancun as hurricane Wilma closed in, will leave for the Mexican city of Merida today from the Dominican Republic.
Thomas Cook, which was uanble to disclose its number of customers in the Yucatan Peninsula, will also operate emergency flights to Merida, about a three hour bus transfer from Cancun.
Holidaymakers will be flown to the Dom Rep and put up in hotels before being taken back to the UK.
Operators said Orlando has escaped the worst of the hurricane even though the Disney World and Universal Studios closed yesterday. Holidaymakers in Miami and the Florida Keys had already been evacuated.
Around 30,000 Britons are estimated to be in the state.
Report by Steve Jones
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