British dead 'nearer 200'

Some Britons thought missing have come forward

The estimated number of British citizens missing after the World Trade Center attacks has been revised down to around 200.

The British Consulate in New York said the working figure had been revised from about 300 as officials eliminated those found safe and well from the list of people reported missing.

Jowell: Co-ordinating support to families

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell is visiting New York on Wednesday to oversee the arrangements in place for relatives of those Britons caught up in the attacks.

Ms Jowell - who has been given responsibility for co-ordinating the support effort for British victims - is due to view the site of the World Trade Center.

She is also attending a service at the church nearest to the scene of devastation and will hold private meetings with relatives to ask them whether there is any extra support the government could be offering them.

Many relatives of Britons missing in the carnage have already visited New York, their flights paid for by the government.

Ms Jowell will also meet members of the New York Fire Department and deliver letters of support from Tony Blair.

Rubble

The British Consulate in New York is still compiling the list of victims, and a spokesman stressed it was still an ongoing process.

He said: "In some cases, people had been reported missing and when they were found to be safe and well, the relief meant their relatives forgot to phone back to say they had been found.

"We are continuing to work on the figure."

None of the missing Britons have been confirmed dead and New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani has warned many bodies will never be found in the wreckage of the twin towers.

Meanwhile, authorities in the city have begun issuing death certificates to families of people missing, presumed dead, in the rubble of the World Trade Center.