Russian Tour Operators Requested to Provide List of Tourists in Turkey

The Russian Emergencies Ministry requested the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) to draw up the list of the Russian tourists currently staying in Turkey for potential evacuation amid political crisis, a source in ATOR told RIA Novosti on Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the source, emergency flights might be organized to bring Russian tourists back home as regular flights between Russia and Turkey were provisionally barred.

"The Russian Emergencies Ministry are ready to evacuate the Russian tourists currently holidaying in Turkey, if necessary. They have already requested the ATOR for accurate number of tourists staying at the country's resorts and asked for the lists," the source said.

Late on Friday, Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup is taking place in the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Turkish citizens to take to streets, stating that the coup attempt was carried out by a small group within the military.

The coup attempt was reportedly suppressed by early Saturday, with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stating that all coup supporters were identified and would be apprehended as the country was returning to normal life. Over 180 people were killed and 1,470 were injured during the events, while nearly 3,000 people have already been detained, according to the prime minister.