A NORTH-EAST father thought to have been killed in the Asian tsunami disaster has been found alive and well.

Michael Swanton, 36, was on the beach at Phuket when he heard the wave was coming.

The father-of-one, who owns a transport company in the area, raced to his truck and sped off missing the killer wave by minutes.

But he did not call family or friends in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Bishop Auckland and they feared he was dead.

However, yesterday, his parents, who live in Otley in West Yorkshire, were given Mr Swanton's new mobile phone number by a friend, who had spoken to him recently.

"We found out he was safe at about 1.30pm and the relief was incredible," said Mr Swanton's father, Colin, 67.

"He's not one to keep in touch. We were so worried. Thank God he's safe."

Michael Swanton lived in Leeholme, near Bishop Auckland, before moving to Hartlepool, where he lived for about a decade working as a doorman.

He has since worked all over the world on pipeline contracts and is due to return in March to work in the Newcastle area.

He sold his home in Rosthwaite Close, Hartlepool, last year to move to Thailand.

Mr Swanton has an eight-year-old son, Dylan, who lives in the Middlesbrough area.

His brother Stephen Swanton, who also lives in Otley, said Michael wanted to thank the people who had been searching for him.

"A lot of the land lines out there are still down and the mobile service is still very patchy," he said. "This may offer hope to those still to hear from relatives and friend who are out there - that they may be okay."

Friend Louise Elliff, from Crook, County Durham, said: "It was awful. It was one of his mates who had his number and everyone is just really, really pleased he is alright."