Search Continues for Britons Missing in Brazil

The search is continuing for four British businessmen after their light aircraft went missing in Brazil two days ago.

A number of aircraft were sent to look for the plane after it disappeared off the Atlantic coast, as family and friends of Alan Kempson, Nigel Hodges, Sean Woodall and Ricky Every waited for news.

Brazilian authorities were also reportedly investigating eyewitnesses who said they saw a plane crash.

Kempson and Hodges are both directors of a finance company called Diamond Lifestyle Holdings, based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Non-executive chairman Paul Hughes said: "All we know is that the plane is missing.

"I am obviously very worried and my thoughts are with their wives and families."

Hughes said he has worked with Diamond chief executive Kempson, who is 46 and lives in Spain, and finance director and company secretary Mr Hodges, who is 52 and lives in Somerset, for almost two years and they have become friends as well as colleagues.The Foreign Office confirmed yesterday that the four Britons were on board the plane when it vanished off the north-eastern coast, along with two pilots.

According to reports, they are involved in the tourist property industry and were looking at hotels and apartments in Brazil's tropical Bahia region.

The search was launched after the twin-engine Cessna 310 they were in lost contact with air-traffic controllers minutes before it was due to land in the coastal city of Ilheus on Friday night.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "I can confirm that there were four passengers, all four of whom were British, and two pilots."

The spokeswoman added that next of kin had been informed, and that no other details about the men were available.

It is understood that three of the four do not live in the UK.

Teams from the British consulate in Sao Paulo have traveled to the resort, in the north-east of the country, to provide assistance.