THE Dean of Blackburn has been left devastated after the tsunami claimed the lives of more than 40 of his relatives.

The Very Reverend Christopher Armstrong today revealed his son had flown to disaster-struck Banda Aceh to search for survivors from his Indonesian wife's family.

Johnathan Armstrong, 24, met Nyanayk during a round the world trip and they married five years ago.

Dozens of her relatives were killed when the wave hit the family home, on a small hill just five metres above the water line.

The province has lost over 100,000 people - two thirds of all the dead. Among them are Nyanayk's parents and nine of her 12 brothers and sisters - of whom she is the youngest.

Johnathan has flown from the country's capital Jakarta, where the couple live with their two children, aged two and four, in an American army supply plane to try and locate his remaining in-laws.

He has vowed to search the orphanages and refugee camps to find as many of the family as possible and take them home with him to safety.

The Dean whose work covers the whole of East Lancashire, said he was trying to come to terms with the "awful tragedy."

He said: "Most of Nyanayk's sisters and brothers were married with children and lived in a family house which was almost on the beach so when the waves hit they would have been swamped.

"There was no chance of them escaping and all who were there have been killed.

"We are now just very concerned for Nyanayk and family members who have survived and Johnathan has vowed to search the orphanages and refugee camps.

"This is an awful tragedy and I know Nyanayk is staying strong for everyone else but she must be devastated and our thoughts go out to her."

Johnathan met his wife, who is also in her 20s and whose name means "The Youngest", when she helped him when his car broke down in Banda Aceh.

He now works as an English teacher at the British Institute in Jakarta. The couple had two wedding ceremonies, one in Indonesia and one in the UK. After news of the disaster struck the Dean said his son collected together as much water and medical supplies as he could and set off to fly into Banda Aceh.

However, his trip was delayed when an American supply plane hit a water buffalo on the runway, closing the airport to aid flights for several valuable hours.

The Dean said: "He has now got in there and we can only imagine what sort of scenes he is witnessing.

"The numbers of dead and missing are not comprehensible - they are just like telephone numbers.

"He is really brave but I also think there is a natural inclination for the bereaved to want to go back to where they have lost loved ones.

"It would be too much for Nyanayk so she is staying in Jakarta to prepare their home in the hope that Johnathan does bring some of her family back with him. She has to look after the children who have lost one set of grandparents.

"There is still hope that some of her nephews and nieces have survived and are in the refugee camps."

One of Nyanayk's brothers survived because he also lives in Jakarta and two brothers, who were in Banda Aceh when the tsunami hit, also survived.

The Dean explained how one of the brothers had seen the sea retreating and realised what was about to happen.

He said: "He jumped in a car he had only bought days earlier and rushed up into the hills to escape the flood and was one of only a few who survived."

It is now believed half a million people are now homeless in Banda Aceh and there are fears many of the orphaned children will fall pray to gangs who will sell them into slavery.

The Dean said he had spent Christmas glued to the media coverage of the disaster and was waiting for a phone call from Johnathan over the next few days.

He added: "He has said he will phone as soon as he can and we are hoping it will be with some good news.

"Everyone that has approached me has been so kind and really concerned for my family. And there have been lots of offers of help. At the moment we are not sure exactly what help the area needs, so all the money we raise at the cathedral is going to central aid agencies. As the picture becomes clearer we may focus on helping that specific region."

UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, and other World leaders, including Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw, were due to meet in Jakarta today for a global relief summit to discuss the best way to distribute aid throughout Indonesia.