THERE are "severe concerns" about Britons still missing in Japan four days after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
There had so far been no confirmed reports of British fatalities in Friday's disaster, Mr Cameron told the House of Commons.
But around 17,000 UK nationals are known to have been in Japan at the time the catastrophic quake struck, and fears remain that some of them may be among the tens of thousands believed killed.
The Foreign Office's emergency helpline has been contacted by about 4,700 worried relatives and friends seeking news of loved ones.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged any UK nationals who are in Japan or have recently left to make contact and confirm they are safe.
Search-and-rescue teams struggling to save the lives of people still trapped in the debris have been joined by a 63-strong team from the UK.
Mr Cameron said Britain stood ready to send any further assistance that was needed – including nuclear experts to help tackle emergencies at plants including Fukushima, where cooling system failures at three reactors have led to hydrogen explosions.
In a statement to MPs, the Prime Minister said: "The devastation we are witnessing in Japan is, of course, of truly colossal proportions.
"It has been heartbreaking to listen to people who have had all their relatives, their friends, their possessions and their homes simply washed away. Those who have survived will not recognise the place where their homes once stood.
"We do not yet know the full and dreadful death toll, nor can anyone truly understand the impact these events will have, but Japan and the Japanese people are a resilient and resourceful nation."
Fears of a major slowdown in the world's third-largest economy sparked a huge slump in Japanese shares, with Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index closing more than 6% lower and some of the world's biggest firms, such as Toshiba, Toyota and Honda, sustaining heavy share price losses.
Shares in UK insurers also slumped amid estimates that the claims bill arising from the quake could be as high as �22 billion.
There were calls from environmental campaigners for the Government to reconsider plans for eight new nuclear power stations in the UK in the light of the crisis at Fukushima.
Friends of the Earth executive director Andy Atkins said: "The explosions at the Japanese power plant must lead to an urgent rethink of plans to build even more reactors around the world.
"We can't keep heading down the nuclear route until the lessons from this crisis have been learned."
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has ordered a review of the implications for the UK.
The Foreign Office has advised against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and north-east Japan. Concerned friends and relatives of British nationals should contact the Foreign Office on 020 7008 0000.
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