Seventeen British nationals in Burma have failed to make contact since a devastating cyclone hit the country, the Foreign Office said today.
As many as 100,000 people are thought to have died and more than a million left homeless in the storm that destroyed swathes of the country. Vast areas are still under floodwater and rescue workers have yet to reach some of more remote regions.
Thousands of people have gathered in makeshift shelters, and many have gone without clean water or food since cyclone Nargis struck on Saturday.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We don't have reports of any British casualties as yet. But because communication lines are down and roads are blocked, not everyone has been able to get in touch to tell their friends and family they are safe and well. We are aware of 17 British nationals that friends and family have not been able to make contact with."
She said there was as yet no reason to believe the missing Britons were in any danger.
There are around 200 British nationals registered with the embassy in Rangoon and 7,500 UK tourists are believed to visit the country every year.
Those living in the country were warned by the British embassy before Saturday that the cyclone was about to strike.
