British casualties inevitable says expatriate teacher

Although the Foreign Office said yesterday that there were as yet no confirmed casualties from the UK, they said they had received more than 3,200 calls from concerned friends and relatives in the days since the earthquake hit.

Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne said: “I am not in a position to make a definitive statement about the number of British nationals caught up in it, but clearly it is a huge devastating disaster and there almost certainly will be foreign nationals involved.”

He added that the British Embassy in Tokyo was being “heavily reinforced” with extra staff flown in from across Asia, London and the Americas to boost the support provided to British citizens in the ravaged country.

English teacher Jenny Tamura Spragg, 33, who lives in Saitama, said British casualties were “inevitable” given the scale of the tragedy.

She described how people were queueing for miles for petrol, supermarkets were selling out of basic food and power saving cuts were being introduced.

She said: “Supermarkets have sold out of rice, bread, milk, bottled water and other daily necessities as people stock up out of precaution or fear that another big one will hit.

“People do come to a sudden standstill at almost every aftershock.

“As far as British expats’ safety is concerned, I would say that British casualties is an inevitable reality.

“The expat community here are reacting differently. Some are considering booking flights out of Japan as a precautionary measure for fear of a radiation leak.

“Others are more afraid of another big quake and don’t want to be alone in a foreign country.

“And others, those who’ve been here longest, seem to have adopted the Japanese air of taking it all in their stride, if you like. Mixed emotions.”

A Foreign Office spokesman said yesterday that, while there were not yet any reports of British casualties, it could take some time to identify victims of the disaster as the Japanese authorities’ priority was the emergency response

A helpline has also been set up for UK nationals in Japan and their relatives, which can be contacted on 020 7008 0000.