A Bermudian family fears their father?s body was lost after Hurricane Katrina struck Gulfport, Mississippi.

Beverly Rodrigues and Sharon DeSilva said their father, Roger Mayne, 70, of Warwick, died in Gulfport last Thursday.

The funeral was supposed to be held on Tuesday, but the killer storm made that impossible.

Before Mrs. Desilva evacuated to Atlanta she told her mother-in-law and 13 other family members that she loved them as they headed for a storm shelter away from Gulfport?s beach.

She has been unable to contact them since, she said yesterday.

?His remains were moved from a site at the beach at Biloxi to a funeral home on Highway 49,? she said.

However, they have no idea if the funeral home is still standing.

?It?s awful. We wanted to bring him to Bermuda because he has a grave here, but his wife wanted to keep him in the US. I don?t know if we will be going back for a funeral. There is no closure at all,? she said.

?We have absolutely no clue if his body has been washed out to sea, if any buildings on that highway are even still standing, whether or not is wife and her family are safe,? Mrs. Rodrigues said. Mr. Mayne moved to Gulfport 17 years ago. ?He was a very jovial guy. He liked to party,? Mrs. DeSilva said of her retired father. ?He was last in Bermuda in Cup Match 2004. He came back every year for Cup Match.? Mr. Mayne was part of a big family with six brothers, one of whom is Michael Mayne who owns Mayne?s Furniture on King Street. ?It is just a crazy situation,? Mrs. DeSilva said.