The work of identifying the people who have died during the earthquake and tsunamis around the IndianOcean will take time for the very difficult DNA analysis and toothrecords, Deputy Foreign Minister Klaus Scharioth said here on Saturday.

"I cannot give the all-clear at all, but only the fact that we will have to wait for the very difficult DNA analysis," Scharioth told a news conference.

A total of 37 German police officials went to Sri Lanka and Thailand to work with the local authorities to identify victims, Scharioth said.

Thirty-four German tourists were confirmed killed, 300 injured and more than 1,000 still missing, Scharioth said.

"The probability that the missing will return is not large," headded.

Scharioth also said the Indonesian government has approved a German request to set up an army lazaret in Aceh province, the worst-stricken area in Sunday's tsunami. It will be operational within less than a week.

Germany has evacuated a total of 10,000 people from holiday resorts like Khao Lak and Phuket in Thailand, 6,700 of them Germans, he said.

The German government has pledged 20 million euros (27.3 million US dollars) in immediate aid for the affected areas.