A BLACKBURN couple died in the Asian tsunami just hours after phoning their daughters to wish them a Merry Christmas, the inquest into their deaths was told.

Susan and Terence Ford, of Country Mews, off Preston New Road, flew to Thailand for a festive holiday just two days before the killer wave struck on Boxing Day last year.

Days after the tsunami, the couple's daughters, who live in Westhoughton and Lancaster, posted a message on the Red Cross website urging their parents to get in touch.

But the family never heard from the couple again after the wave struck the Khao Lak Countryside Resort on Nang-Thong beach.

The Fords' inquests were among 91 for British victims of the tsunami being staged in London this week. After the hearing, it was revealed that the school where Mrs Ford was a teacher had raised £6,000 in her memory which will be donated to education projects in Thailand.

The body of Mrs Ford, 55, who was head of modern languages at Withins School, Breightmet, was identified in March using her dental records.

Mr Ford, 62, a project manager, was identified some months later using DNA.

The family delayed the couple's funeral until Mr Ford's body could be flown home. They were finally buried together at Overdale in Bolton in September.

Coroner Alison Thompson recorded the verdict that the couple were victims of the tsunami. The cause of death was given as drowning.

The inquest, at West London Coroner's Court, heard that no witnesses had been able to pinpoint the couple's location when the disaster struck.

A spokesman for Mrs Ford's school said: "Sue was a wonderful teacher and we are sure she would approve of the use of the money."

The number of people who died or went missing following the Boxing Day tsunami in the India Ocean is 270,000.

The first day of the hearing on Monday heard some of the bereaved relatives criticise the way the authorities handled the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

Some also criticised the absence of any proper warning of the approaching wave, which devastated coastlines in the Indian Ocean region.

However, a leading oceanographer told the hearing that even an early warning system may not have made any difference because there was not a mass evacuation plan in place.