ON hundreds of websites worldwide, the messages were brief: 'Missing: Christina Blomee in Khao Lak', or simply 'Where are you?'.

Some messages gave nothing more than names, ages and nationalities. Others listed locations where loved ones were last seen.

Since last Sunday, family members and friends have sought information any way they could, launching websites, posting pictures and sending text messages about the thousands of people missing.

The death toll from the disaster has far surpassed 100,000.

Websites hosting discussions and blogs have become virtual announcement boards for the lost and found.

'Does anyone have news of my colleague Chuck Kearcik and his wife Melinda and children Candice and Charlie?' Mr Andy of Kuwait City asked on the BBC's website.

Ms Cheryl Boehm, of Houston, Texas, asked for help finding her American father, Mr Jesse Adams, who lives on South Pattaya Beach, Thailand.

Others sent text messages by handphones across continents. Some handphone operators stopped charging for calls to and from South-east Asia for 48 hours.

'We thought it would be a nice move from handphone companies,' said Mr Robert Neimanas, of Swedish group Telia.

The Swedish companies also sent text messages to their phones in Thailand asking subscribers to call their families or the Swedish Embassy.

EVERYONE'S HELPING

Italian Valerio Natale, 14, replaced his year-old website dedicated to The Simpsons television show with a message board for Italians searching for missing family members.

'Everyone has to make a contribution when something like this happens,' said Valerio. So far, he has received 20 queries about the missing.

Others have used the Internet to link names with photos, sometimes with a happy ending.

Swedish toddler Hannes Bergstroem was reunited with his father days after being found amid the wreckage in Thailand, after his uncle spotted a photo of the 18-month-old.

Hannes' mother, Mrs Suzanne Bergstroem, is still among the 5,000 or so missing in that country.

Norwegian brothers Christoph and Espen Wernersen set up their own web page, www.hjelposs.info, to help their search for brother, Ketil, his wife and their two children - all missing in Thailand.

'The worst is not knowing,' Mr Christoph Wernersen told Oslo newspaper Dagbladet before leaving for Thailand to join the search.

Their web page asks families to post pictures and details of the missing, which will be sent to the searchers.