British holidaymakers told of a "chaotic" scramble to get them on flights out of Africa when they landed home from crisis-torn Gambia.
The first UK tourists arrived at Manchester Airport, speaking of a hurried operation to get them back to Britain as foreign troops massed on the country's border.
Sara Wilkins, from Church Stretton, Shropshire, on holiday with her husband Michael, said: "We weren't told anything, every day they were like, everything's fine, don't worry about it.
"I kept phoning Thomas Cook and they were, don't worry about it, we'll let you know in 24 hours, and I didn't feel happy about that.
"We weren't getting any proper communication.
"Then I rang Thomas Cook again this morning and they said: 'Pack your bags, you've got to go.' We just panicked, just threw everything in a case and just got out of there basically.
"But it was a nightmare at the airport, people were crying and panicking. It was just chaos."
Around 3,500 UK tourists are believed to be in the country, with the international airport in the capital Banjul in danger of closing "at short notice".
The Foreign Office (FCO) has urged UK citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to the winter sun destination, causing Thomas Cook to launch contingency plans to get their customers home.
As passengers left a Thomas Cook flight from Banjul to Manchester, tourists spoke of being warned not to leave their hotel after dark and a hurried evacuation amid a lack of communication.
A Gambian man was hugged by British tourists as he wept with worry at the terminal after leaving his family back home.
There were also reports of fuel and money shortages and shops closing down in the Gambian capital where the president, Yahya Jammeh, has refused to hand over power after losing an election.
Neighbouring countries have warned their military may now intervene.
Ralph Newton, from Nottingham, said: "We didn't get communication until this morning, 9am, you've got to leave, the reps are coming at 10am. No reps came, the coaches came and then it was just a bit of chaos, but they did their best at the airport.
"Spoilt it a bit because we only ever go away once a year, saved up a lot of money for it and because of politics we've had to come home."
Gambian Ebrima Jagne was hugged by British tourists as he wept and told how he is trying to get his wife, Haddytouray and their three month old daughter, Ajiamina Jane, out of the country.
Mr Jagne, who works as a textile engineer in Burnley, Lancashire, said: "Everybody feel unsafe, everybody on edge, because you don't know what's going to come next.
"I got my wife there, baby three months old. I cannot get my daughter out. I'm desperate. It's not easy at all when I leave my wife there and daughter."
Pensioner Sue Thrower, from Doncaster, who was only halfway through her holiday said she found out about the evacuation through a friend she met on holiday.
Mrs Thrower said: "If it hadn't of been for that young woman of 28 with her smartphone talking to her mum back home, we wouldn't have known we had to pack after breakfast this morning and be ready and we were ready.
"Unbelievable lack of communication from Thomas Cook. All we got the night before was a letter on the board saying: 'Do not leave the hotel after seven o'clock at night. Stay in your hotel.' That's all they said.
"But some people are worse than us, they came yesterday and are going back today. I can't think why they let them out given how difficult the situation was politically."
Karl Degnan, from Nottingham said: "The communication at the hotel was very poor. I got up this morning to get some breakfast and was just told we've got to pack, we've got to go.
"Everybody there has said it will be over in a few hours.
"I wish I was still there."
Elicia Gardner, a teacher at Portland School, Stoke-on-Trent, was with another teacher and three pupils on a week's volunteering trip in a school in Gambia.
She said: "There was petrol shortages and it was much harder for us to get our money changed this time as there are money shortages out there right now.
"A lot of people out there are quite worried, and we are worried for our friends out there, the Gambian people who were taking care of us while we were out there."