A traveller in disaster-torn Burma has emailed his family as they prepared to give him up for dead.

Tom Bourden, 29, from Eastbourne, had not made contact with his family since a cyclone hit the city of Rangoon on Saturday.

At least 22,000 people are thought to have died in the cyclone and the heavy flooding it caused.

Tom's sister Rachael, 23, made an impassioned plea this morning for him to make contact.

She said: "If anybody knows anything or have seen him, if it is good or bad news, we'd like to know."

Just after lunchtime today Tom's family got a short email from him telling them not to worry.

Soon afterwards Rachael spoke of her relief to The Argus.

She said: "If you had asked me this morning I would have told you it was quite likely he was dead."

Tom went to The Cavendish School, then Park College in Eastbourne.

He has travelled widely since then to countries including Australia, Spain, India and Thailand.

He funded his latest trip using prizemoney from a photography competition in Wanderlust magazine.

Do you know anyone who is missing in Burma? Leave your comments below.