British people have been reported missing

British people have been reported missing following the earthquake that struck China killing at least 10,000 people, the Foreign Office has said. A spokesman confirmed that it is believed British nationals were “possibly” in the area when the earthquake struck on Monday afternoon.

“We have been told through our embassy that there are British nationals possibly in the area. The embassy is now trying to contact people that have been reported missing,” he said. “Some of the people may be in groups or some may be individuals. The embassy is trying to make contact with them but communications are difficult at the moment. Our embassy is in close contact with the Chinese authorities.”

He said he could not confirm a report from China’s Xinhua News Agency that a group of 15 British tourists “were out of reach on Tuesday morning in Wenchuan”, the epicentre of the earthquake. The quake had a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter Scale, making it the country’s worst for 30 years, with most of the casualties in the Sichuan province.

The Foreign Office has now set up a telephone number for people to contact if they think their loved ones may have been involved in the disaster. The telephone number to check on people who may be affected by the earthquake is 0086 105 192 4499.

Xinhua quoted an official from the Sichuan provincial emergency management office as saying the tourists were probably in Wolong, a protection and breeding centre for pandas.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband pledged to help China deal with the devastation wrought by the earthquake. Mr Miliband said: “The UK stands ready to assist