An Oxford couple are celebrating after hearing that their daughter, who was staying at a Thai beach resort hit by the devastating Asian tidal wave, is safe.

Charlie McDermott, 24, was in Phuket when it was struck by five-metre high waves shortly after 1am on Boxing Day.

Parents George and Jean McDermott, who run the Globe Inn at Cranham Street, Jericho, had heard nothing from her since the disaster until she managed to make a call, lasting only seconds, yesterday (Mon Dec 27) afternoon.

Mrs McDermott said: "Luckily she'd got up early in the morning to get to the bus station, which is unusual for her, so they had left the beach and had their possessions with them.

"Her call only lasted for seconds, but she said she's OK, and we don't need to worry. As far as I can tell the water was at their ankles, and they just ran for it."

Miss McDermott, a secretary, has been on a year-long round the world trip since November with boyfriend Jason Howe, 30, from Sunderland.

The couple have now left Thailand for Malaysia, and plan to continue their trip, following advice to avoid beaches until the danger of aftershocks has passed.

Mr and Mrs McDermott, who have three other children, received an e-mail from Charlie on Christmas Day telling them she was enjoying the trip, which she described as "living her dream".

They did not hear about the disaster until they returned from a walk on Boxing Day morning to open the pub, when locals arrived asking after their daughter. Mrs McDermott said: "We couldn't believe that's where she was.

"We couldn't sleep, we were up all night watching the TV reports for any sign of her. We were devastated."

Mr McDermott said: "It was like a weight lifted from our shoulders when she called. No parent wants to see their children buried before them. The locals in the pub have been fantastic, and a lot of people have been calling to offer their support."

British Embassy officials have set up an emergency base in Phuket for tourists stranded at resorts on Thailand's west coast. Officials estimate more than 750,000 Britons visit Thailand every year.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have set up an emergency phone number, 020 7008 0000, but many parents have been unable to get through. A spokesman said: "The only thing I can recommend is that families just persevere. There are around 10,000 British people in the affected area, so, as you can imagine, the demand for information is huge. If people's children have mobile phones, they should try calling or texting them, but if not, they just have to keep trying."

People in Oxford with links to the region have been speaking of their shock at the disaster.

Chinta Kallie, of the Oxford Indian Union, said: "Obviously we feel a great deal of shock at what's happened. It's an appalling tragedy.

"There are people in Oxford who have family members out there and we have started fundraising in support of other agencies."