Zin Zin Wealthy, of Harrington Road, Rothwell, frantically tried to make contact with her two brothers and three sisters after news spread about the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis on May 2.

At the time, she was on holiday in Norfolk with husband Mark and their family but their attempts to speak to someone in Mrs Wealthy’s village proved futile.

Only one telephone serves the village of Kyontani and lines were down for more than a week because of the destruction caused in other parts of the Irrawaddy Delta region.

Kyontani is only about 60 miles north of the centre path of Cyclone Nargis and Mrs Wealthy was desperate to find out if her family had escaped the tragedy which struck the south west area of Burma.

Mrs Wealthy, 30, said: “We couldn’t get through on the phone. I kept trying and trying. I rang about 20 times.

“I was so worried. I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t sleep. My husband was talking about flying out there.”

Eventually, one of Mrs Wealthy’s phone calls got through to a resident in the village at 2am on Sunday, and her brother was immediately put on the line.

Mrs Wealthy said: “I didn’t have long on the phone to him but I just asked him if everyone was okay over there. I was so happy and relieved. My brother said they had only felt a slight gust of wind. They were the lucky ones.”

Mrs Wealthy moved to England in 2000 after meeting her husband in Burma, where he was working at the time.

The couple, who have three children, heard from Mrs Wealthy’s family that the roads to her home village are still intact, along with all the main crossing points of the delta rivers.

The official death toll from Cyclone Nargis has risen to almost 30,000 although aid agencies estimate the figure is closer to 100,000.

n Queen donates to Burma – page 10