The foreign secretary has responded to reports of a massive earthquake in South and East Asia.

Jack Straw said on Sunday that the natural disaster was "profoundly tragic" amid fears that thousands of lives, including some British, could be lost.

British embassy staff across the region are said to be working to help UK holidaymakers caught up in the aftermath of the quake, which measured 8.9 on the Richter scale, as well as assisting in the international aid effort now underway.

With a tsunami-level tidal wave hitting holiday islands in countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka it is feared that thousands of tourists could be affected.

Straw said Foreign Office staff have been recalled from leave where necessary to co-ordinate work with the Department of International Development and Ministry of Defence.

"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," he said.

"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 Columbo, 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."