Engineer Huan Peen Chan, 46, spent four years at Sunderland University in the 1990s, before returning to his native Malaysia. He may have been on board the missing Malaysian Airways flight MH370.
The University of Sunderland has said staff are "deeply concerned" to hear reports that one of its ex-students may have been on board the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
"I would personally like to thank the local community for their amazing donations of food, toiletries and clothing. "
Owners John and Irene Hays say there is ''light at the end of the tunnel'', after the pandemic forced them to close 650 UK stores.
There has been resistance to calls to dismantle memorials to the explorer.