A total of 26 Germans have been confirmed dead in the Asian tsunamis, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said here on Wednesday.

He told a press conference that some 1,000 German tourists who were in the tsunami areas in southern Asia are still missing.

The final figure of Germans killed in the disaster could be "in three figures," said the chancellor.

Schroeder called on his compatriots to donate to funds set up to help the affected regions.

At least 6,400 German tourists were in southern Asia when the tsunami struck last weekend. Among them was former German chancellor Helmut Kohl who was evacuated from the southern district of Galle, Sri Lanka.

On Wednesday, the death toll from all countries affected by thetsunamis was revised upwards to over 71,000, half the number in Indonesia alone.

The World Health Organization said it feared the death toll would double in the aftermath of the disaster.