A disaster victim proposed to his girlfriend just a day before he was believed killed by the tsunami in Thailand.

David Page, 44, from Graffham, near Petworth, asked Sharon Howard, his partner of five years, to marry him on Christmas Day.

Last night Mr Page's family said their hopes of his survival were fading.

The death toll from the disaster affecting 11 Indian Ocean countries doubled again last night, soaring towards the 100,000 mark. The British death toll could top 50.

Mr Page, a commercial deep sea diver who worked on the mission to recover the stricken Russian submarine Kursk in 2000, was on holiday in the country with Ms Howard, 37, from Hayle, Cornwall, and her sons Taylor, six, and Mason, eight.

Taylor was killed and Mason and Mr Page are missing, presumed dead.

Ms Howard suffered head injuries and is recovering in hospital in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

The couple had become engaged just hours before deadly waves struck their hotel in Khao-Lak Phang-Nga.

The family had been travelling in Asia since December 2 and were due to return to England today.

Police said the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr Page and the boys were unknown but all four were in the hotel complex when the tsunami hit land.

Mr Page and Ms Howard maintained a strong relationship despite his frequent work trips around the world as a deep sea diver.

Ms Howard, who has been told about the fate of her partner and children, is said to be improving but it is not known when she will leave hospital.

Mr Page's brother Martin, 47, has been comforting their parents Stanley, 82, and Jean, who is in her 70s. Mr Page also has a sister, Claire, 40, who lives near Graffham.

Martin, himself a former diver, said his brother loved Ms Howard's children as his own and they had planned to spend the rest of their lives together.

He described his brother as a devoted family man, with a strong character, who was an avid Chelsea fan and who enjoyed golf, travel and history.

He said: "He had been a diver for 26 years and he was a very practical, pragmatic and sometimes dogged man.

"He is exactly the sort of person when this happened that you would want to be with.

"From what we've heard he did not have a chance.

"He had planned to adopt the boys and was also planning to get married next year."

"We are not holding out a lot of hope of him being found alive.

"We've talked about it and we all agree he was doing what he loved and was coming to the end of a fantastic holiday.

"He was happy as he as ever been for a long time and was looking to the future. That's all been taken away.

"Our thoughts are with Sharon who has got to survive losing him and two kids."

Stanley Page was close to tears as he said: "David could face anything. He was just unlucky. He's here anyway. He'll always be here with us."

Ms Howard's eldest son, Jack Coop, 17, has flown to Bangkok with Ms Howard's sister Beverley and her brother-in-law Roland, both from Kent.

Ms Howard's parents Rita and Trevor Coop, of St Ives, Cornwall, said: "We last heard from Sharon, David and the boys on Christmas Day and they sounded so happy.

"They were having a wonderful holiday and David had proposed to Sharon earlier that day."