A WORLD Trade Centre banker whose family originate from Gwent is feared dead, the Argus can exclusively reveal.

Mark Ludvigsen, a New York employee of investment banking firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods was working on the 89th floor of the World Trade Centre at the time of the terrorist attack.

Staff at the firm, which has 67 of its 188 employees on the missing list, are still clinging to the hope their colleagues can be found alive.

But family friends of Mr Ludvigsen's Newport grandparents have asked the Argus to publish a moving tribute to Mark in the Argus today - believed to be in his late twenties or early thirties - on the basis he is among the dead.

The couple's tribute reads: "Ludvigsen. On Tuesday, September 11 by terrorist attack in the World Trade Centre in New York.

"Mark - the beloved son of Karl and Christina, brother of Claire, nephew of Marilyn, and dearly loved grandson of the late Grace and Sigurd Ludvigsen of Newport. "God bless and may your soul rest in peace, Kit and Ian."

Mark was an employee at the banking firm since 1993 and worked in the fixed incomes department. He lived in America with wife Maureen.

His sister Claire who also lives in the States, was among relatives of missing Keefe, Bruyette & Woods workers who attended a special prayer service on Sunday.

Last night the firm's human resources manager Josephine Fink who worked on the same floor as Mark described him as "a gentleman" who was proud of his Welsh links.

A tearful Ms Fink told the Argus: "Mark was a lovely guy with a great sense of humour. He was always a gentleman, a very talented and loyal person."

She added: "We knew his grandparents were British and we would kid him about that." Ms Fink was buying fruit at the bottom of the trade centre when the first plane hit. She tried in vain to speak to her colleagues on the 88th and 89th floors.

"I heard the noise the first jet made. I tried calling the World Trade Centre to tell people to get away. I heard another loud noise, debris was flying.

"I'm not certain how many of our staff were up there but they always have a 7.30am meeting for our sales training. These people get in very early."

But staff, she said, were still hopeful colleagues would be found alive. "They do say that there might be the odd air pocket down the bottom of the Trade Centre and we haven't given up hope of still rescuing the missing."

l The company is operating from temporary premises in Manhattan.