London: The number of dead and missing in Myanmar's devastating cyclone is estimated at between 63,000 and 100,000,but could end up being far higher, Britain's ambassador there said today.

Mark Canning, speaking from Yangon in a conference call to reporters in London, added that no Europeans were believed to be among the victims of Cyclone Nargis, which struck last weekend.

He cited authoritative sources as putting the number of killed and missing at between 63,000 and 100,000,but said that figure could rise "very dramatically" as up to 1.9 million people are considered vulnerable.

Myanmar's military government has refused to allow foreign aid workers into the country despite the scale of the devastation, which has drawn comparisons with the December 2004 tsunami in Asia.

Canning said it was unlikely that either Europeans or aid workers were killed. The Foreign Office said earlier this week that 17 Britons had not been in contact, but the ambassador said some had since been in touch.

It was possible that foreign aid workers had been affected, he said, but added: "We are not aware of that. As far as we are aware, there are no casualties."

He added: "We ve tracked down at least five of those people today, but our best assessment remains that there are no British or, indeed, European casualties."

Source : PTI