WESTERN diplomats in Kashmir have received new evidence which could confirm the fate of Paul Wells and his fellow kidnap victims.

But, on the eve of the hostages' 500th day in captivity, Foreign Office Minister Liam Fox warned of the increasing likelihood that they were dead and added:"The longer it goes on the less optimistic we become."

Dr Fox has confirmed to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that the new and possibly significant evidence about the Blackburn student, fellow British hostage Keith Mangan and three other Western captives had been received recently but refused to give further details.

In an exclusive interview, he said that diplomats genuinely did not know whether the men had been executed or not.

But he added:"Knowing the truth - even if it is not the answer they want - would be a relief for the parents."

Dr Fox poured cold water on a claim by Indian Home Secretary K. Padmanabhaiah that the hostages had been killed on December 13 last year. He said that while Mr Padmananbhaiah claimed to have evidence the men were dead, Kashmiri separatist leader Farooq Abdullah believed they were still alive.

He admitted that because of the new information he was happy to give the plight of the hostages a higher media profile.

He said:"We just don't know. It is very frustrating. I do not believe that speculation is any help to the parents."

Dr Fox explained that in the sub-continent it could often be counter-productive to give publicity but that the Foreign Office felt that media activity might help flush out more vital information on the hostages' fate.

The Minister - who recently visited India and Pakistan to appeal for help in finding more about the hostages - said he would like to provide Mr Wells and Mr Mangan's families with hope.

Dr Fox did reveal that diplomats from the four nations with hostages held by the Al Faran group were now involved in a major review of the information they had about the abduction.

He said this was partly because the onset of winter in Kashmir, which isolates most of the mountainous territory, made it an appropriate time for such a study.

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