Website to trace Brits in crises

A service to help track down Britons caught up in emergencies abroad is being launched by the Foreign Office.

The recent quake in China and cyclone in Burma both highlighted the problems involved in trying to get hold of people possibly caught up in crises.

Travellers can now register their details with the Locate service on the Foreign Office website.

These include details of their travel plans, as well as emergency contact information for embassies and family.

Communications difficult

The launch coincides with a Foreign Office survey of 1,204 adults which found more than half went away without giving journey details to loved ones.

It also found two out of three Britons did not know where their loved ones were travelling when they went abroad.

"It's great to get off the beaten track when we're away from home but things can change very quickly in any country"
Foreign Office minister Meg Munn

As many as 20% of those questioned said they had been abroad during an incident and felt compelled to let someone at home know they were all right.

But the Foreign Office said communication could often be difficult in such situations, leaving families and friends not knowing whether or not the person was safe.

Problems finding out whether an individual was safe could also divert consular assistance away from those who really needed it, it added.

In case of an emergency, worried relatives in the UK can also register their concern about a traveller on the Locate website, enabling the Foreign Office to get in touch to reassure them more quickly once they have located the person in question.

Foreign Office minister Meg Munn said: "It's great to get off the beaten track when we're away from home but things can change very quickly in any country.

"In our survey more than nine out of 10 Britons said they would feel reassured to know that in the event of an emergency abroad, the local embassy could quickly find their location.

"Telling us where you will be, whether it's a short trip or you're travelling for a year, could help us either to get to you if you are in trouble, or know that you are safe so that we can concentrate our resources on helping those in need."

Britons made an estimated 68 million foreign trips in 2006.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Foreign Office: Locate
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