Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel firm, declared bankruptcy on Monday Sep 23,2019

The tour operator and airline Thomas Cook said on Monday Sep 23,2019 that it had collapsed, leaving hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded and scrambling to find a way home, after last-minute negotiations to obtain necessary financing for the debt-ridden company fell apart.

“We are sorry to announce that Thomas Cook has ceased trading with immediate effect,”thecompany said in a post on Twitter and the Civil Aviation Authority in Britain said that all Thomas Cook bookings, including flights and vacations, had been canceled.

The liquidation of the world’s oldest travel company, which specialized in low-cost package holidays that included flights and accommodation in more than 60 destinations around the world, has set in motion what was being described as the biggest peacetime repatriation in British history, as the government announced plans to bring back 150,000 Britons.

An estimated 600,000 people were believed to be stranded around the world, and it was not immediately clear what would happen to those who are not British