A British cameraman thought to have been killed by Russian troops fighting Chechen rebels may still be alive, say Kremlin officials.

The body of a man bearing a passport in the name of Roddy Scott, was found among a group of rebels killed during an attack by Russian forces in Ingushetia, bordering Chechnya on Thursday.

It is still unclear if Roddy Scott has been killed

However deputy state prosecutor, Mikhail Fridinsky, said that the body of the dead man and the photograph in the passport "do not correspond".

He went on: "We imagine that the passport-holder (Scott) either managed to get away with the rebels, or is also dead."

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A British embassy spokesman confirmed that the body had yet to be identified.

Mr Scott, 31, is single and comes from Yorkshire.

He is a freelance television cameraman who had worked extensively in conflict areas, including Kosovo, Albania and Afghanistan.

During his career he has sold footage to many of the world's broadcasters, including the BBC and Sky News.

Frontline Television News confirmed that Mr Scott who had provided them with footage for about six years had been in Georgia for about two months.

'Tenacious reporter'

"Although there has been no independent confirmation of his death, the passport numbers and other identification released by the Russian government tally with those held at the Frontline office in London," it said in a statement.

"Roddy was a tenacious, courageous reporter," said Frontline's managing director Vaughan Smith.

"Like many of us, he felt that the Chechen conflict had been woefully badly covered; unlike many, he had the determination and courage to go out and report on that situation."

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