The remains of two bodies feared to be those of British hostages held in Iraq have been passed to Britain by the Iraqi authorities, the foreign secretary, David Miliband, said today.
There was no immediate confirmation of who they were, he said, but the government's thoughts were with the families of five British hostages who were taken captive in Baghdad in May 2007.
"This is terrible moment of uncertainty and fear for them," said Miliband, who described the developments as "distressing".
"We do not yet have confirmation of who they are. Forensic examinations are under way to establish their identities and the causes of death as soon as possible.
"Our immediate thoughts are clearly with the families of the five Britons taken hostage in Baghdad in May 2007," he said.
There had been speculation earlier this year that a deal to free the men was close, but it is now clear that any agreement has failed, raising fears for the lives of the remaining three hostages.
The deal, which was revealed in March by a Shia-aligned group called Leagues of the Righteous, appeared to show almost two years of covert negotiations between the British government and the hostage-takers.
Miliband said that, following today's news, the Foreign Office was in close touch with the hostages' families and urged the media to "give them as much space as possible in these very difficult hours and days".
"Hostage-taking is never justified in any cause. Today's terrible news underlines the gravity of the crimes associated with it."
He reiterated Britain's call for the immediate safe release of "all the remaining hostages".
"I also confirm that we are working intensively towards that goal, but I also have to say the threat to them remains very high indeed."
The foreign secretary added that he was grateful for the Iraqi government's efforts to secure the release of the hostages.
"I urge those working for peace and progress in Iraq to redouble their efforts to secure the release of all the hostages held there.
"I think today the hearts of every person in this country will go out to the families of the hostages.
"They and their loved ones are at the forefront of our thoughts and actions."
Asked how surprised he was by the news, Miliband said: "This is a very distressing development.
"We have never speculated on the outcome of this case although we have been working intensively on it, so the overriding feeling today is one of deep sadness and fear."
Mr Miliband admitted that everyone involved had "failed" in their efforts to secure the release of the two men whose bodies have been passed to the British authorities.
The British government has said it fears that two bodies handed back by the Iraqi authorities are those of two Britons captured in 2007. Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that forensic tests were currently being conducted to determine whether they were indeed those of the hostages.

In May 2007, four security guards and an IT consultant, Peter Moore, were kidnapped at the Ministry of Finance by armed militants of the Islamic Shiite resistance. The kidnappers released a video of the captives, saying that one will be killed if British forces do not withdraw from Iraq.


Miliband said that "we have never speculated on the outcome of this case although we have been working intensively on it, so the overriding feeling today is one of deep sadness and fear. Our immediate thoughts are clearly with the families of the five Britons taken hostage in Baghdad in May 2007."

Foreign Office sources have suggested that the bodies have been dead for several months.