Byline: David Williams and Rebecca Evans
THOUSANDS of British holidaymakers were trapped last night as Tunisia teetered on the brink of civil war.
They were stranded after days of violence left the North African republic in lockdown.
Thomas Cook brought 1,800 tourists home yesterday in six evacuation flights.
But as many as 3,000 were left behind as a state of emergency was declared, the country's airspace was closed down and the army took control of the airport.
Crowds of protesters took to the streets of the capital Tunis yesterday demanding the resignation of president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who fled before the flights were grounded.
In scenes of sickening violence they clashed with police who beat them with sticks and kicked them on the ground. Live rounds and tear gas were fired at the demonstrators in what is being billed as the first WikiLeaks revolution because it was sparked by internet revelations about corruption in the president's regime.
The bloodshed also spread to the country's Mediterranean resorts, popular with Britons seeking winter sun. In Hammamet, two protesters were said to have been shot dead and the police station set ablaze.
Jackie Souissi, a British tourist, said her brother-in-law had been shot dead by police in the resort. She told ITV news: 'He got out of a taxi and stood on some steps to see what was going on, and a few seconds later the police opened fire into the crowd. He was killed instantly by a shot to the neck and four other people were wounded in the same incident.'
One unnamed tourist told the BBC that he had seen a woman shot dead as she went to a cashpoint. 'She was running to the bank to get some cash out. The police thought she had a bomb and shot her in the head straight away.'
Student backpacker Steven Houston, 28, got the first flight out of Tunis after he was caught up in a riot. He said: 'I was on my way to the train station when hundreds of protesters came swarming round the corner with riot police chasing them. I could smell tear gas in the air.'
Richard Field, a teacher who has lived in Tunis for five years, told BBC News: 'There were gangs of youths going around breaking everything.
I'm shocked at how fast everything has happened. Anything that was destroyable, they destroyed.'
The clashes followed days of protests against mass unemployment, corruption and rising prices which have claimed at least 66 lives.
Last night it was reported that prime minister Mohammed Ghannouchi had taken charge and the president was heading for Paris.
A curfew was declared banning gatherings of more than three people. State television warned that 'arms will be used' if the orders of the security forces are not obeyed. The Foreign Office warned Britons against all but essential travel to the country. It advised tourists who remain there to monitor news broadcasts, warning: 'There have been demonstrations, some violent, in multiple locations.
'There is the potential for violence to flare up, raising the risk of getting caught up in demonstrations.'
A spokesman for Thomas Cook said it had 'strongly advised' all its holidaymakers to return home on six special flights - four to Manchester and two to Gatwick. It also said it had cancelled the next planned flights to Tunisia on Sunday.
Another major travel operator, First Choice, with 1,500 customers in the country, said it was monitoring the situation but had not yet made a decision to repatriate tourists or to cancel its Sunday flights.
Thomson said it had cancelled one flight and was organising return flights for those who wanted to leave early.
Abta, which represents travel agents and tour operators in the UK, said the Foreign Office guid-ance meant that all customers with package holidays to Tunisia who have not yet travelled would be entitled to make alternative arrangements, rebook for a later date, or claim a full refund.
More than 350,000 British tourists visit Tunisia each year. A former French protectorate before independence in 1956, it is popular because it offers a warm winter climate just three hours' flight away.
Pensioners Dennis and Ann Gilbert were among Britons caught in the chaos after visiting a shopping centre in Nabeul, a town 40 miles from Tunis.
'Suddenly, we heard screaming,' said Mr Gilbert, 89, an artist from Chelsea, as the couple arrived back at Gatwick. 'I could see smoke and hundreds of people marching down the street waving flags and banners.
'The shopping centre's steel gates then closed and we were locked in. Everyone was running around, screaming and surging towards us.
'After we were released from the shopping centre, we found a taxi and the driver drove ridiculously fast to get us away.'
WHEN HOTEL MANAGER WAS SHOT WE PACKED OUR BAGS
A BRITISH couple told last night how they decided to flee after the manager of the hotel next door was shot dead.
Jim and Eleanor thompson, pictured above, packed their bags even before their tour operator thomas Cook announced the evacuation of British holidaymakers
Mr thompson, 76, said he and his wife had already been terrified by gunshots in the streets where they were staying.
The final straw came when they were told that the neighbouring hotel manager had been gunned down on a visit to the chemist.
'He'd been to get a prescription and was shot as he walked out of the door,' said Mr thompson, a retired technical author.
'he wasn't even involved in the protests, that's how random it was.
'I said to my wife, "that's it, pack the bags, we're leaving". it was terrifying.' the couple, from East Kilbride, landed at Gatwick at around 5pm yesterday .
They had been half-way through a four-week break in the coastal resort of hammamet.
Mrs thompson, 71, said: 'We are very relieved to be back. it was getting very frightening. Most people were too scared to leave the hotel.'
CAPTION(S):
Flames of hate: hordes of protesters against the president hurl rocks at police yesterday during clashes on the streets of tunis
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