A MAN flew to Thailand in a desperate bid to track down his brother, who has been missing since the tsunami struck the coastal areas of South East Asia.

Colin Seymour (43), from Radcliffe, was initially thought to have been living on the island of Phuket when the killer wave struck on Boxing Day. He had moved out there several years ago to live the beach-style life.

But a telephone call to the Bury Times last Friday has given his brother, Craig Seymour, renewed hope that Colin is still alive.

The call was made by one of Colin's friends who said she had been with him until November.

Craig Seymour, of Danesmoor Drive, Bury, said: "We now know that Colin was actually living on an island called Koh Yao Noi, off the coast of Krabi, Thailand. He was working in a hotel called Sabari Corner.

"When I get out to the area, it is the first place I will try. I managed to get a telephone number for the hotel, but couldn't get through. The power lines must have gone down since the tsunami."

The Seymour family used to live in Marsden Walk in Radcliffe.

The Government will be paying for Craig's transport and accommodation to allow him to fly out to Bangkok from Heathrow Airport, for ten days. He will have to fund his own food but after two and half weeks of waiting, he just wants to find out what he can about Colin. The delivery firm that Craig works for has given the time off on full pay.

He said: "When I get there I will have a DNA test and I also plan to scour walls of pictures and notes to see if I can spot anything about my brother."

After hearing about the earthquake on Boxing Day, Craig posted Colin's details on the International Committee of the Red Cross website, in the hope that someone would have details about him.

Colin, who used to attend Radcliffe High School, moved to Thailand in 1996, and although the brothers have not spoken for five years, Colin has sent postcards to keep Craig updated on his life in the Far East.