Jungle searched for missing men

As fears grew for Alan Kempson, Nigel Hodges, Sean Woodhall and Ricky Every, their relatives and friends tried to remain positive.

Teams spent another day combing a 400km sq area in north-eastern Brazil after the 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.

The four men were travelling from Salvador to Ilheus as part of an exploratory trip connected to a future housing development planned by Mr Woodhall's firm, Worldwide Destinations.

Entrepreneur Mr Woodhall, who lives in Spain, is its president, according to Michael Lynn, a long-time friend and colleague, who said: "Everybody is hoping that there will be a positive outcome. We have to stay positive, but it has been a long time now. It is very concerning indeed."

Mr Woodhall's mother, who lives in Cambridgeshire, and his father, who lives in Wales, asked for the media to respect their privacy, he added.

Mr Every works for the company in Brazil and lives there, Mr Lynn said, adding that Mr Kempson and Mr Hodges - who are directors of a British finance company - were potentially going to do some work with Worldwide Destinations. Mr Hodges, 52, is the only one of the four who lives in the UK.

In a statement, his family, who live in Somerset, said: "We've had tremendous support from both family and friends during this very difficult time. We remain positive and eagerly await news of Nigel's well being and look forward to his safe return. We ask that you respect our privacy during this period."

The Foreign Office confirmed that the four Britons were on board the plane when it disappeared, along with two pilots.

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