STOCKHOLM, Dec 30 (AFP) - A total of 44 Swedes have been identified among the dead in Thailand but that number will most certainly rise to the hundreds and possibly even exceed 1,000, Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson said on Thursday.
"The number is going to end up in the hundreds, in the worst-case scenario exceed 1,000," Persson told a press conference.
Sweden looked likely to be one of the Western countries hardest-hit by the massive earthquake and tidal waves that slammed the Indian Ocean coastlines at the weekend, with between 1,000 and 4,500 Swedish holiday-makers still missing or unaccounted for, mostly in Thailand.
"We have been working intensively to coordinate information from families, travel agencies and people on the ground. Many Swedes were travelling in the area and we expect to bring home those Swedes who are able to travel by Saturday," Persson said.
Persson has previously called the catastrophe "probably the worst of our time and will impact everyday Swedish life for a long time to come."
A previous death toll had put the Swedish fatalitites at six.
The confirmed overall death toll from Sunday's tragedy climbed to more than 118,000 on Thursday.
Persson has declared New Year's Day an official day of mourning in Sweden.
Flags at government offices and official buildings will be lowered to half-mast on Saturday "and the government encourages each and every person to do the same", Persson said in a statement issued earlier Thursday.
Memorial services are also expected to be held across the country.
On Thursday, members of the Swedish government as well as King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia attended a special memorial ceremony at Stockholm's cathedral Storkyrkan.
12/30/2004 15:10 GMT - AFP