New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has expressed growing concerns over the whereabouts of 300 New Zealanders believed to be in parts of Asia hit by the massive tsunami on Sunday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said Wednesday that his ministry had growing concerns about the safety of those people three days after the disaster.
"I've got to say, we're a little bit more pessimistic today than we might have been yesterday with those figures unaccounted for in the affected areas," he said on National Radio.
He said the latest information from Bangkok showed there were 490 New Zealanders on the database.
Eleven of those were in hospital, including six in Phuket and five in Bangkok.
While some of those injuries may be serious, none was believed to be life-threatening.
Goff said 113 New Zealanders were unaccounted for in the worst- hit Phuket area, another 192 unaccounted for were likely to be in other parts of Thailand, and 172 were confirmed safe and well with some currently returning to New Zealand.
Some of those who were returning home were severely traumatized, Goff said.
Meanwhile, MFAT staff would continue to check morgues and hospitals, and work with local police to assist those identified as New Zealanders to get out.
There were over 230 unidentified non-Thai casualties in the Phuket area, which was the main concern to New Zealand.
Goff said the overall picture would become clearer in a couple of days and the main priority would be tracking down those who had not made contact with family or authorities.