A SCARTHO man is missing, presumed dead, after being washed away when Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines where he was holidaying with his family.
Relatives and friends of Novartis employee Colin Bembridge have been posting on Facebook in a bid to trace his whereabouts in the aftermath of the natural disaster.
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said it is "supporting the family of the person who is believed to have died, though they have not been formally identified." The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed it was aware of reports that British nationals have been killed by the typhoon.
Colin, 62, of Waltham Road, was in San Jose, which is on the coast of Tacloban, with his girlfriend, Maybelle Go, and three-year-old daughter, Victoria Go, when the typhoon struck.
They were staying in the area where Maybelle's family is based – and where the worst of the storm hit.
Colin's disappearance has been widely reported in the national media. The mother of Colin's partner, 79-year-old Lydia, showed Channel 4 News the wreckage of the beach house where her daughter and granddaughter had been staying. She told the programme: "I just want to know whether they are dead or whether they were blown by the winds. "Now that I am here I cannot see them. I am at a loss of where they are. My heart, it's hurting." While searching the wreckage, Lydia found a dress belonging to Maybelle and a games console belonging to Victoria.Colin's daughter, Joanne Bembridge, posted on her Facebook page: "My dad, Maybelle and Victoria are still missing – please speak to everyone you know to help find them.
"They were last seen in a house on BayBay, San Jose, Tacloban, Philippines; we think near to the Mayor's building.
"There are unconfirmed reports that they got washed away.
"Please pass on this info to everyone you know and send information to this Facebook page or mine if you know or hear anything."
Lisa Rogers, a friend of Joanne's posted on Facebook: "If anyone has any contacts in the Philippines or is in a similar situation or has any idea of how we can trace if they are ok, please message me with any information.
"I am desperate to help my friend find her dad and the more people that share this, hopefully the power of Facebook will help us in this search."
Photographs of Colin and his girlfriend and daughter were posted on the site to aid in the search.
A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of reports that British nationals have been killed by Typhoon Haiyan. We are urgently looking into it" "We are aware that a number of British nationals have been unable to contact family members in the Philippines. We are providing consular assistance, but we currently don't have official confirmation of any British nationals dead or injured. We should stress that communication with the affected areas remains extremely difficult and we have not been able to account for all British nationals who may potentially have been in the area."
Confirmation of whether a British person has been killed – and their identity – is unlikely to come until next week.
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda, is believed to be the strongest ever to have hit land – with winds reaching up to 235 miles per hour.
More than 3,000 people have already been confirmed dead.
