French deputy foreign minister Renaud Muselier said on Friday that the number of French nationalsdead in the Asian tsunamis reached 117 and the final toll is expected to be much higher.

"As I speak, we have 117 deaths: 21 victims whose remains have been identified (17 in Thailand and four in Sri Lanka) and more than 96 people missing. The latter were carried away by the sea ortorrents of mud. Their deaths are sadly almost certain even thoughtheir bodies have not been found," he told French Daily Le Parisien.

"We count also 250 injured, including 10 critical whose prospects are uncertain," he said, adding that French authorities were "effectively without news of 530 French nationals who were inthe zone of the Gulf of Bengal between Thailand, the Maldives and Sri Lanka."

"Most of these people will be found in the hours and days to come. But there will also doubtless be more deaths. The 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 aftershocks triggered tsunamis which hit India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and four other Asian countries.

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

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