London, September 23 (RHC)-- Hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers were stranded on Monday by the collapse of the world's oldest travel firm Thomas Cook, sparking the largest peacetime repatriation effort in British history.

Running hotels, resorts and airlines for 19 million people a year, it has around 600,000 people abroad and will need the help of governments and insurance firms to bring them home from places as far afield as Cancun, Cuba and Cyprus.

Queues for flight back to Britain built up at Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.  The company's collapse sparked alarm at hotels where some customers have been asked to pay their bills anew by out-of-pocket resort owners.

As well as its 21,000 employees, the company's fall hit global booking websites, credit card companies, travel firms using its airlines and British high streets where its travel agents were forced to shut.   Major holiday destinations including Turkey and Greece also warned their hoteliers would suffer.