London - Nine hundred British tourists were told to shelter in their hotel bathrooms as Hurricane Matthew hit Cuba because Thomas Cook was unable to evacuate them in time.
Angry holidaymakers said they were just given umbrellas to protect them from the 140mph storm which has claimed at least 11 lives.
In posts on social media, tourists claimed that other nationalities and other tour agencies got out in time – but they were left behind.
Thomas Cook was able to evacuate 570 of the 1 500 people it had on holiday in Holguin, a resort city in eastern Cuba, by putting them on a seven-hour bus ride to another airport on Sunday.
But the tour operator said the remaining 930 were not moved because the Cuban government would not provide any more coaches.
Tourists left behind went on Thomas Cook’s Facebook page to call the company a “disgrace” and say it had “put people’s lives in danger”.
Carol MacKenzie, of Thomas Cook, said: “Please be assured we did everything possible to ensure everyone’s safety – that’s always our highest priority.”
Daily Mail