'We pray that they survived'

Terence Ford, 62, and his wife Susan, 55, of Country Mews, have not been in touch with friends or family since the killer wave claimed 150,000 lives throughout the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day.

Neighbours on the newly-built estate off Preston New Road said the couple were always friendly and down-to earth and had lived in their three-storey home for only a couple of months.

One man commented: "We really can't believe what has happened and I think that we are all in shock.

"It has been really weird to see the house in darkness over Christmas and the New Year, knowing that they are missing somewhere out in Thailand.

"We know that phone signals are really bad over there and are just hoping that they are all right and just haven't been able, for whatever reason, to phone home yet."

Neighbours said they believed the couple holidayed on the Southern beach area of Thailand over the festive season.

The area they visited was destroyed when the tsunami hit.

It was only when the couple's 27-year-old daughter, Louise Ford of Lancaster visited them on New Year's Eve that concerns were raised.

Another neighbour said: "Louise was in total shock and now so are we.

"We are all thinking about them and their family at this anxious time and are more than happy to do anything we can to help to locate them.

"They are new to the estate so don't know them very well but they always seemed very nice.

"I think Terence's friends call him Toby and I believe they lived in Turton before moving here.

"They have just moved into their new home and we are praying that they can come back to it soon."

Daughter Louise has joined thousands of other people surfing emergency websites to discover the fate of loved ones who are missing.

She has included their details on the Family News Network of the International Committee of the Red Cross under a growing section for those who have relatives missing since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami.