A couple who narrowly escaped death in the Asian tsunami disaster have remembered those who lost their lives.

One year ago, Neil and Marina Thorneywork, of Birmingham Road, Blackminster, Evesham, were diving off the Maldives island of Kandooma when the tsunami struck on Boxing Day.

It was good luck that saved their lives, as the couple were underwater when the tsunami swept across the island.

At the time Mr Thorneywork, aged 40, spoke of how he believed they would almost certainly have been killed if they had gone to their original dive site off the Maldives.

However, the boat crew detected something was wrong and changed course, although the couple did end up diving.

One year on, Mr Thorneywork - a self-employed personal investor - described how he and his wife had said a prayer for the dead over dinner as they spent Christmas Day at their Blackminster home.

The disaster has not put the couple off diving, though, and they have since dived in Egypt, the English Channel and off the west coast of Wales.

Mr Thorneywork also says it would not deter him from returning to the disaster-stricken region in the future.

He said: "We just think how lucky we were that we survived it and it's something we'll never really forget.

"The fact that it happened 12 months ago doesn't mean it will happen next week though or next year - it probably won't happen for another 500 years."

More than 200,000 people lost their lives in the disaster, with friends and relatives of those who died recently taking part in remembrance ceremonies.

Among the dead were John and Annie Hofton, from Wichenford, near Worcester, who were swept away when the huge waves hit Khao Lak beach in Thailand.

Mrs Hofton owned women's fashion shop Tizzie's in Malvern while Mr Hofton was a sales manager in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.