Tunisia hotel attack Q&A: The key questions after the atrocity in the seaside town of Sousse

At least 28 people are reported to have died, including Britons

Holiday companies are urgently organising an airlift to evacuate the holidaymakers caught up in the attack (AFP/Getty Images)

The horror of a beach turning into a battle zone has raised many questions about Tunisia as a destination. The Independent's travel correspondent has been covering the unfolding story.

UPDATED:

Q Naturally many of the holidaymakers who survived the attack are keen to come home. What is being done to help them?

The primary concern is with the families of the victims, and the other holidaymakers who were caught up in the attack. The assumption is that they will all want to return home as soon as possible.

It appears that Thomson, the tour operator whose customers were targeted in the attack, has already organised an overnight airlift to rescue holidaymakers. Extra flights are shown as scheduled to take off from Enfidha airport in the early hours of Saturday morning, from 1.10am to 5.40am.

Five will go to Manchester, with one to Gatwick, one to East Midlands. They are expected to land in the UK from around 4.30am if the schedule is maintained. Between them they are likely to carry around 1,500 passengers.

Holidaymakers in Tunisia should not go to the airport unless instructed to do so by their tour operator. As of 9pm on Friday, the Foreign Office is warning: “Some attackers may still be at large. Any British nationals in these hotels or nearby should remain indoors, and contact their tour operator and the Foreign Office. For security reasons they should not advertise their location on social media or when speaking to journalists.”

Q| How many British holidaymakers are in Tunisia, and how many are booked to go?

Abta, the travel association, estimates there are 20,000 British tourists on package holidays to Tunisia right now; in addition there are likely to be several thousand more on independent trips. Last year, 424,000 British travellers went to Tunisia, and a similar number was expected for 2015. Assuming normal sales profiles, that means around a quarter-million people are booked to travel to the country this year - the vast majority to resorts such as Sousse, south of the capital.

Q What is the advice for people who have holidays booked - perhaps as early as this weekend?

Abta, the travel association says: “Those due to travel today and tomorrow should contact their tour operator or airline.” The majority of holidaymakers are on package holidays, particularly with Thomson, Thomas Cook and Cosmos.

Cosmos, and its airline partner Monarch, was the first holiday firm to offer customers travelling to Tunisia in the next week option to postpone their trips or switch destinations (details at bit.ly/MonarchCosmos).

Thomas Cook is offering free cancellations for anyone booked this weekend, and free amendments (ie to a different destination) for those travelling before the end of July. Thomson says customers with Tunisia-related queries should call 0800 009 3835 or +44 20 3636 1996.

Q What happens next?

When the scale of the tragedy is fully assessed, in my view it is likely that the Foreign Office will shortly warn against all but essential travel to Tunisia, thereby obliging holiday companies to bring people home as swiftly as possible. Anyone who stays, or decided to travel out against that advice, will see their travel insurance invalidated.