Norway has sent a five-member health team to Thailand to help its nationals searching in the Thai tourist spot of Phuket for their relatives missing in the Dec. 26 devastating tsunami, a Norwegian health official said Sunday.

"We have had two psychiatric nurses there (in Thailand) for the last week, but we think there is a need for more health support," said Bjoern-Inge Larsen, head of Norway's directorate for health and social affairs.

The health workers are expected to give support to the families and friends of those lost in the tsunami while assisting them in looking for their loved ones in hospitals and health agencies, he added.

The tsunami, which killed more than 160,000 people in South and Southeast Asia last month, has left 15 Norwegians dead and 77 others missing.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2005)