Related: Asian Tsunamis Disaster

French deputy foreign minister Renaud Muselier said on Friday that the number of French nationals dead in the Asian tsunamis reached 122 and the final toll is expected to be much higher. (Photo: Xinhua)

    

     PARIS, Dec. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- French deputy foreign minister Renaud Muselier said on Friday that the number of French nationals dead in the Asian tsunamis reached 122 and the final toll is expected to be much higher.

    In an interview with French LCI news channel, Muselier said that the new death toll included 23 people whose death was confirmed and another 99 missing. More than 400 French nationals were hospitalized following the disaster.

    Muselier said in an interview with French daily Le Parisien published on Friday that French authorities were "effectively without news of 530 French nationals who were in the zone of the Gulf of Bengal between Thailand, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.," andthe toll will likely be between 150 and 250 dead," he said.

    An 8.7-magnitude underwater earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Sunday morning. The quake and its after shocks triggered tsunamis which hit India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and four other Asian countries.

    The overall death toll from the disasters surpassed 125,000 on Friday.

    Southeast Asia has always been one of the most favorable destinations for French tourists in their Christmas holidays.

    The famous Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris, traditional site forthe New Year's celebration, was put into mourning on Friday to pay tribute to victims in Asian tsunamis, with black belts of 2.6 meters long and 30 centimeters large hanging on 400 trees of the world's most beautiful avenue. Enditem