Burma Briton concerns 'unfounded'

The cyclone has affected tens of thousands of people in Burma

The British ambassador to Burma has said he does not believe any Britons or Europeans have been caught up in the country's devastation.

Mark Canning said five of the 17 Britons that were unaccounted for have already been tracked down.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said they believed the others were in areas unaffected by the cyclone but had been unable to contact relatives.

The numbers of killed and missing has been put at between 63,000 and 100,000.

Speaking from Burma, Mr Canning said: "There's been a lot of coverage in the last 24 hours about Brits that are missing here; I do not believe there are.

"Our best assessment remains that there are no British or, indeed, European casualties."

1.9m vulnerable

He said it was possible that someone who had been in a remote area could have been hurt, but said he thought it was unlikely.

We are pressing the Burmese authorities as a matter of urgency to address the barriers to rapid access for staff and supplies Downing Street Get tough with Burma - Clegg

"We are not aware of that. As far as we are aware, there are no casualties," he added.

But Mr Canning said the number of Burmese casualties could rise dramatically higher than the already catastrophic estimates because up to 1.9m people were now considered vulnerable.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "Clearly this is a very significant crisis and urgent access is essential.

"We are pressing the Burmese authorities as a matter of urgency to address the barriers to rapid access for staff and supplies."