Gareth Huntley: Jungle search stepped up for missing Brit

Gareth Huntley, pictured with his girlfriend Kit Nataringa, went missing during a trek

The Malaysian government has assured the UK it is using all available resources in the search for missing Briton Gareth Huntley.

Mr Huntley, of Cricklewood, north London, has not been seen since going trekking on Tioman Island on Tuesday.

After initial criticism, his family have said they are now "hugely grateful" for the search response.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, who is in Malaysia, raised the matter with his counterpart on Sunday.

Mr Hammond "was assured that the Malaysian authorities would do all they could to locate him and had already deployed significant assets", the Foreign Office said in a statement.

On his official Twitter feed, the Malaysian Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said he was helping to find missing Mr Huntley and included a picture of him meeting Mr Hammond.

The Malaysian defence minister said he was working with his UK counterpart to find Mr Huntley

Mr Huntley had gone to Malaysia as a charity volunteer for the Juara Turtle Project.

He was going to see a waterfall in the jungle when he went missing. His family fear he may have fallen and broken his leg or been bitten by a snake.

The terrain is said to be very difficult to navigate around on foot

       The police have been criticised for not helping sooner

His mother Janet Southwell, from Bradford, had written an open letter to Mr Cameron asking him to contact the Malaysian leader about the case. She is due on the island on Monday having left on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Huntley's girlfriend Kit Nataringa has now arrived on the island.

On Facebook, she wrote: "Every glance into the jungle I'm reminded he's out there on his own for the sixth day.

"It makes me anxious and I feel so helpless.

"The Malaysian and British governments are being more proactive but the reality is he's still out there, vulnerable, hungry, thirsty, tired, scared, alone and running out of time. Absolutely crucial to act fast and continue to push the authorities and rescue teams."

The family have been critical of the search efforts, with Mr Huntley's brother Mark claiming police did not initially join the search and for days it was only his friends and local people who were looking for him.

However, Malaysian police have rejected suggestions they did not take the search seriously.

A spokesman said the number of people looking for Mr Huntley had been increased to include 10 paramilitary operation commandos, five police officers, two dogs and a fire rescue team. A helicopter and patrol boats are also involved.

A local FCO diplomat has arrived to coordinate the rescue effort from the ground.

On Sunday, Mark Huntley said: "We're hugely grateful to Mr Cameron and Mr Hammond for their response and their assurances to support the local police with professional searchers who can ensure that GPS mapping and real coordination is available."

The search had been limited by rain showers and restricted to the hours of daylight.

BBC News correspondent Jennifer Pak, who is in Kuala Lumpur, said the area was a dense jungle.

"It's extremely difficult because they've been experiencing rainfall every night, [and there is] more to come in the coming days," she said.

"Also the search has been limited to daylight hours so as soon as it gets dark at 19:00 local time (12:00 BST) it has to stop.

"Even if the pathway he was using was well trodden, it's extremely wet, slippery, so it would have been very difficult."

The trek is said to take longer than the two hours mentioned on this map

Mr Huntley had been working at the Juara Turtle Project, pictured here three years ago

Earlier, Ms Nataringa spoke to BBC Breakfast.

When asked if it was out of character for Mr Huntley to go "off-track" during a trek, Ms Nataringa added: "He's adventurous but this is absolutely unusual for him because he's always in contact with somebody.

"He would never go trekking on his own with the intent of staying the night."

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Waterfall trek

Steve Riches, who has attempted the trek to the waterfall, said: "It says two hours but once you get beyond the rubber tree hinterland, you enter the jungle proper and the path is not clearly marked.

"We crossed a very boulder-strewn river bed and then realised we were lost and with some difficulty, we retraced our steps until we hit the track.

"It is slippery and you can take a fall - I did - and we just played safe and came back to the start. Others say they did it ok."

He added: "Once you've headed off one of the few tracks, and are away from the rubber plantation strip, you really are in difficult virgin jungle with rattan palm that can rip your skin to pieces.

"It can be so dense that even a companion 15m (50ft) away cannot be heard.

"I saw a python, and there were vipers, and you get covered with bloodsucking leeches, but frankly the greatest dangers are not from nature but from falling or just being completely lost without water."