Tour operators in Crimea are begging holidaymakers to stay after a bridge attack left a Russian couple dead

• Tourists are fleeing the popular holiday destination Crimea as it becomes increasingly militarized.
• Tour operators are begging tourists to stay and not be swayed by their "emotions," CNN reported.

Tour operators in Crimea are begging people to stay after a bridge attack on Monday left a Russian couple dead and their 14-year-old daughter injured, according to multiple reports.

Hour-long traffic jams started forming on Tuesday as Russian tourists tried to drive out of Crimea, a popular holiday destination on the Black Sea coast, Reuters reported.

"We have cancellations for the end of July and August," Elena Bazhenova, head of the Laspi Crimean tour company said, according to CNN. "We are explaining to tourists that cancellations for these dates are only possible with penalties."

"We are trying to convince tourists not to make decisions based on emotions," Bazhenova added. "We expect the situation to normalize in the coming days."

Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 and has become increasingly militarized due to its proximity to southern Ukraine.

On Monday, fighting continued to escalate after a drone attack on the Kerch bridge — which connects Russia and Crimea — killed a couple, Reuters reported. Their teenage daughter, who was a passenger in the car, was wounded and is in intensive care, officials said.

The family were on their way to Crimea for what they hoped would be a holiday. They had decided to drive in the middle of the night to avoid traffic jams, Reuters reported.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for the incident, but Kyiv has not officially said it was responsible.

However, Ukrainian security officials told the BBC that all details regarding the explosion will be announced after the victory, which hints at some form of responsibility.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has since vowed to retaliate against the attack on the bridge, which is an important resupply route for his forces who are occupying part of southern Ukraine, the BBC reported.

Crimea has been busy this summer after Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine made it harder for Russians to travel to Europe, according to Reuters.

Hotels in the area have been offering steep discounts for months to attract visitors but with not much luck.

Ilya Ymansky, the president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, said he expects "significant" cancellations from the estimated 20,000 tourists that were due to arrive in the area soon, Reuters reported.