Any insurance?

I was quite happy with the treatment given to me by VS when my bag was damaged after a flight to LAX. I showed them the damaged bag at the lost baggage counter. They filled out a form and told me to buy a new one of similar value and they'd refund the cost at the airport when I arrive for my return flight. As promised the refund was given in cash without any hassle on production of my receipt.

I can imagine it'll be a bit more of a hassle in your circumstances - if things hadn't turned out so simple with VS I would have let the travel insurance deal with it.