Veel Scandinavische toeristen getroffen door tsunami (en)

Relative to their size, the Nordic countries have been hit hard by the tsunami catastrophe on 26 December in south east Asia.

Thailand is a popular holiday resort and thousands of Scandinavians were spending their Christmas break in the country.

The worst hit of the Nordic countries is Sweden. While the official number of Swedes dead is 52, the number of those confirmed missing is 827 with a lack of information about an additional 1,495, according to new figures published on Monday (3 January).

But the authorities have refused to publish lists naming the missing persons out of fear that their empty homes would be robbed.

The catastrophe is considered the worst disaster the country has suffered in modern times.

The official number of Norwegians killed is 16 while 107 are still missing. Meanwhile, 66 Danes have been reported missing, while 7 have been declared dead. In Finland, 14 have been reported dead and 183 are missing.

Member states are to a hold three-minute silence at 12pm local time on Wednesday (5 January) and fly flags at half mast in commemoration of the victims of the disaster.