The British Government swang into action during the early hours of Boxing Day, the instant news began to arrive on the devastation in Asia.

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said: “For all the huge advances in the control of our lives through science and technology an earthquake on this scale is truly humbling as well as profoundly tragic for everyone involved.

“Messages of condolence from the British Government have been sent to the governments of India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives along with offers of practical assistance. These are being co-ordinated between the FCO, DFID and MOD.

“As soon as the news came through in the small hours of this morning our emergency plans for such as situation were activated. In London Consular officials were called back from leave, regional Rapid Deployment Teams in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur put on stand-by. Our Ambassador in Thailand, David Fall and staff are on their way to Phuket. Every effort is being made by British High Commission Staff in Colombo, Sri Lanka (which also covers the Maldives) to provide assistance.

“Our staff in London are in close touch with Association of British Travel Agents and the airlines.

“For the tens of thousands of British tourists in South East Asia and their relatives and friends here this will I know be a very worrying time. We are doing everything we can to assist but the disruption to communication in the worst affected areas is inevitably making it difficult to confirm exactly the situation on the ground.”

The United Nations has laid on disaster assessment and co-ordination teams, and the European Union has announced an initial 3 million euros to help the victims.

British officials are this evening (Boxing Day) battling to reach ravaged parts of Sri Lanka. The country has declared a state of national emergency and deployed 20,000 soldiers to assist with relief and rescue missions.

Tourists are among hundreds of thousands who were swept away by the mighty waves, including scores of British holidaymakers.

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Colombo said a team will attempt to land in Galle by helicopter on Monday.

Officials have set up a reception centre in Colombo and an eight-strong Rapid Deployment Team of consular staff is tonight heading to the capital from Heathrow.

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Afghanistan News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Tehran cannot live up to its rhetoric
• The new unicycle that will ‘change the world’
• We cannot wish away Iran’s bomb