Ross Baker, playing the violin, is missing in Koh Phi Phi

Ross Baker, 26, was with friends he met while travelling on the island of Koh Phi Phi when the giant waves struck.

He was due to meet a friend in Bangkok on 28 December but never arrived and he has not been in contact with his family since the disaster.

His cousin, Jodie Baker, 26, from Plymouth, and his brother, Peter, will go to Thailand to try and find him.

Ross Baker's father, Steve, from South Brent, Devon, said: "I don't really hold a great deal of hope, it has been nearly a week now but there is a chance.

"People say that they feel numb in these situations, and that is exactly how I feel. You are totally impotent.

Mr Baker spent Christmas Day with friends on Koh Phi Phi

"The worst of it is that there is a potential that we will never know what happened to him."

Mr Baker was taking a break from his part as Jewish violinist Schlomo Metzenbaum in a nine-month touring production of the hit musical Fame.

The theatre company has offered to pay for his cousin and brother's flight to Thailand, his father said.

Mr Baker's work in musical theatre and on cruise ships frequently took him away from home, but he had planned to buy a house in Plymouth.

A group of friends he met in Thailand contacted his father to say he had spent Christmas Day with them on Koh Phi Phi, but had gone missing following the tsunami.