The Archbishop of Canterbury this afternoon met the Ambassador of Honduras His Excellency Roberto Flores-Bermudez and his wife to hear an updated account of the situation facing the people of Honduras following the disastrous hurricane Mitch.

The Ambassador described the devastation which has hit the whole country as a result of the hurricane remaining stationary over the country for 72 hours during which time a whole year's worth of rain fell. He explained that although the Government of Honduras had taken a number of precautionary measures nobody could have foreseen the full extent of the disaster, which has left at least 6,000 people dead and around 12,000 still missing.

The Ambassador expressed gratitude for the support which has been forthcoming from the international community and particularly noted his close working relationship with Christian Aid. He also outlined some of the extensive needs both for short term relief and longer term reconstruction of the country. He particularly requested the Archbishop to take up the issue of debt relief since the country's export industry has been virtually destroyed.

The Archbishop expressed his deep sorrow over the situation facing the people of Honduras. He assured the Ambassador that he would approach both the World Bank and the British Department for International Development on this mater, and would do his utmost to encourage church people to support the appeal now being mounted by Christian Aid and other aid agencies.

The Archbishop has made a personal donation towards the Church's ministry in the disaster zone and looks forward to increasing that. He appeals to the British public to be as generous as possible in their own response to the disaster.