increasing number of Britons are raising concerns about friends and relatives who may have been caught up in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

increasing number of Britons are raising concerns about friends and relatives who may have been caught up in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

More than 4,000 people have so far contacted a Foreign Office helpline for those worried about relatives in Japan.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said they were trying to establish how many UK nationals were unaccounted for and urged people to confirm they were safe.

Meanwhile, a UK rescue team has arrived in Ofunato on the east coast.

Ofunato, about 100 miles north of Sendai, is one of the many coastal communities laid waste by the power of Friday's tsunami, which was triggered by a massive earthquake off Japan's north-east coast.

The UK International Search and Rescue (Isar) team said pictures of Ofunato indicated there were many large buildings damaged but still standing in which there may be survivors.

So far there have not been any confirmed UK deaths, but on Sunday the number of people contacting the Foreign Office's emergency line, to express concern about British friends and relatives in Japan, rose from 3,200 at 0800 GMT to 4,000 by the evening.

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