Fears growing for missing Britons

British survivors have been arriving back in the UK

Fears are growing for the safety of 96 Britons who are still unaccounted for in the area hit by Hurricane Katrina.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said many of those missing might be safe and well but unable to get in touch.

He said his officials were doing all they could, and urged families to keep in touch with the Foreign Office.

Jill Amend, from Richmond, Surrey, who has not heard from her son since the disaster, said she was feeling "very negative as each day goes by".

Ms Amend said she last heard from Vernon Carroll, 47, a few days before the hurricane struck and he told her he would be in touch when he and his wife had reached a safe place. But he has not called.

Ms Amend said: "It is hard to describe - it is just an appalling situation. He is my only child, my only relative in the world."

We are doing everything we can to assist the family and friends of these people to ascertain the news Jack Straw Foreign Secretary Britons missing after Katrina First UK aid flight departs

Mr Straw pointed out that the numbers of Britons unaccounted for had gone down from 131 on Monday to 96 on Tuesday.

But Mr Straw admitted: "As with previous situations of this kind we don't, by definition, know what has happened to these 96.

"Many of them may, fortunately, be safe and well. Others may not be. But we are doing everything we can to assist the family and friends of these people to ascertain the news."

Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman said most of the people found in the last 24 hours had been discovered by British consular officials who have visited addresses where Britons were thought to be across New Orleans, Louisiana and Mississippi.

He said the vast majority of those who had been traced were long-term residents, as were most of the Britons who were still missing.

He is my only child, my only relative in the world Jill Amend Britons describe their ordeal

Lord Triesman added: "It is always possible that British citizens will turn up among the dead.

"But we haven't had any information yet on anybody who has been identified that suggests that there are any British casualties.

"Among the people we are still trying to track, many of them will turn out not to be in the area at all."

Tom Noone, 48, from Abingdon in Oxfordshire, is in a similar position to Jill Amend after failing to make contact with his brother, Mike, on his mobile.

HAVE YOUR SAY Any person who goes abroad cannot expect the British government to be there to pick up the pieces when things go wrong Colin Cooper, London , UK Send us your comments

Mike lives in a house on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, which was hit by a 20ft-high sea surge when the hurricane struck.

And the family of 21-year-old fashion student Penny Rounce have not heard from her since an e-mail she sent prior to the hurricane.

A civil aircraft loaded with 500,000 standard issue MoD ration packs - boxes that contain enough food for one person for 24 hours - was sent to the US on Monday.

Meanwhile, Sir Nicholas Young, chief executive of the British Red Cross, urged Britons to give money to help those affected by the disaster.

On Monday, Tony Blair defended UK officials' efforts to help British survivors and promised officials would do all they could to get any Britons still stranded to safety.

Relatives of Britons in the areas when Katrina struck can call a UK helpline: 0207 008 0000 or contact the British consulate in Houston on 001 713 659 6270.

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