13/05/2008

At Least 19 Britons Missing in Chinese Quake

A least 19 British people are missing after yesterday’s Chinese earthquake, according to a holiday company.

Travel firm Kuoni said the 19 Britons were on a coach from Chengdu to Wolong in Wenchuan County in Sichuan province when the tremor struck.

A further 15, holidaying near an area famed for giant pandas, are also said to have lost contact with authorities.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has said 100 UK tourists currently in affected areas are safe.

Although, there are still no official figures from the British Foreign Office on the number injured in the disaster.

The rising death toll for the earthquake, which hit south-western China, and registered 7.8 on the Richter scale, now stands at over 12,000.

Kuoni said that the 19 British tourists had been customers of one of its subsidiaries, Travel Collection, and were accompanied by a local guide and driver.

The company said it was continuing to attempt to make contact with the group.

A Kuoni spokeperson said: "All lines of communication to the region are down and as such no further information is known at this time. We are working closely with the British Consulate in China."

China's Xinhua news agency said that another 15 Britons were among 2,000 tourists stranded in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province.

The Foreign Office said it had been unable to validate the reports and was trying to establish the whereabouts of any Britons in the devastated region.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We have no confirmed reports of any Britons being hurt in the earthquake."

"We are working on trying to track down all the Britons in the area," added the official.

(PR)


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