The number of Nordic tourists missing in Asian tsunamis has dropped after few days of searches.

Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson said at a press conferenceTuesday that 52 Swedes were confirmed dead and 701 missing. In addition, 1,202 others are still missing and their whereabouts remain unknown. These figures are lower than previously reported because more people have been located.

Persson said that the death toll could exceed 1,000, which would be the most serious catastrophe for the country since a ferry disaster in the Baltic Sea in 1994 killed 892 people including 551 Swedes.

He told reporters that he will visit Thailand on Jan. 16-17 together with Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik and Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen.

Persson said he and his Nordic counterparts wanted "to express our gratitude" to the Thai people and governments for the aid and medical care accorded to thousands of Nordic tourists after the tsunami. They will also discuss assistance and reconstruction efforts in Thailand.

The Swedish king said Tuesday that he will also visit Thailand soon.

In Norway, the National Police announced Tuesday afternoon that16 Norwegians were confirmed dead in the tidal wave and 88 missing,while the Danish National Police said seven Danes were confirmed dead and 57 missing.

The Danish Foreign Ministry announced Monday that Denmark raised its aid for Indonesia and Thailand to 420 million kroner (75 million US dollars), the highest per capita contribution by anynation.