A tourist couple who thanked people in Bermuda for helping them to search for their lost passports have found their travel documents.

Corinne and Steve White said the passports had been found in a bag after they had slipped down a tear in the lining.

Ms White said: “We’re a bit embarrassed as we feel we were very thorough looking for them, but apparently they had fallen down behind a torn lining in our bag and the tear escaped our inspection.”

The couple, regular visitors to the island, thought they had lost their passports just after they arrived on the island last Tuesday.

Ms White feared the passport holder had fallen out of a backpack which had not been zipped closed when they left a taxi at their holiday accommodation in St George’s.

Friends and area residents joined in a flashlight search for the passports, while host Julian Wheddon drove to the airport to check if a taxi driver had found the passports in their cab.

Mrs White said the missing passports were found on Sunday after the couple searched their luggage again.

Ms White said: “It was a wonderful Mother’s Day gift. We were scheduled to begin the replacement process on Monday morning at the US Consulate.”

The New Hampshire couple again thanked members of the public for their help in the search for the missing passports.

Mrs White said: “We are most grateful to our friends, the folks in St George’s and the people of Bermuda for their kindness and concern.”