Briton who survived tsunami goes missing

A British woman who survived the Boxing Day tsunami is missing on the earthquake-hit island of Nias.

A British woman who survived the Boxing Day tsunami is missing on the earthquake-hit island of Nias.

Jo-Anne Wau, 27, who has lived on the island off western Sumatra for four years, has failed to make contact with her family in the UK since the earthquake struck three days ago.

Her mother, Annette Windle, from Dronfield Woodhouse, Sheffield, described her anguish at her daughter's silence and accused the British Government of not doing enough to help in the search for missing Britons. "After the tsunami, Jo-Anne phoned to say what had happened so we at least knew she was alive," Mrs Windle said. "This time is worse. No one has heard anything. It is dreadful not knowing what has happened."

Nias, a popular island with surfers, was beginning to recover from the Boxing Day disaster when the 8.7-magnitude earthquake hit. Around 80 per cent of buildings collapsed and 330 bodies have been found. Indonesian officials said between 1,000 and 2,000 are feared dead in the region. Mrs Wau is one of 10 Britons missing.

Mrs Windle said: "I am very unhappy with the [UK] Government. The consulate general in Indonesia is doing all he can, but he needs a helicopter. More could be done."

Mrs Wau, who runs a bed and breakfast and restaurant business at Sorake Beach, married her husband, Robin, a local, last year. The Foreign Office said a helicopter had been chartered and would be conducting a full search of the island today.

"We are doing everything we can to find those reported missing," said a spokeswoman. "We are in touch with local authorities and we are chartering a helicopter to fly into Nias with the consulate general on board."