While some Canadians are breathing a sigh of relief Tuesday, thankful that their relatives survived Sunday's massive tsunami, others are beginning to grieve for family members that have been confirmed dead.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Reynald Doiron says three Canadians had been killed. One Canadian died in Sri Lanka and two died in Thailand.

Later, one of the Canadian victims was identified: Mathieu Lafond, an insurance broker from the Montreal area who was vacationing in Thailand.

Doiron told CTV News the department knows of approximately 60 Canadians missing in southeast Asia: 38 missing or unaccounted for in Thailand; five in Sumatra; 11 in Maldives; and approximately 15 in Sri Lanka.

 He added that officials were working with local authorities, and the numbers would be updated "as more information becomes available to us."

British Columbia's Michael Lang is refusing to leave Phuket, Thailand until he finds his girlfriend. Rubina Wong, 25, went missing after the tsunami hit.

"My girlfriend was going together with my sister to a spa, and I saw people running," Lang said. Though he and his sister were able to get to higher ground, it's believed Wong may have been swept away.

"It was easy for me," Lang said. "But my girlfriend, she's small, she's petite, she doesn't swim very well. So I don't know what happened to her."

Holding back tears while clutching a photo of Wong, he said, "I love her. I want to find her."

Sathay Thillainathan lost his sister Nirmala and her 16-year-old daughter. They were killed when the tsunami hit Sri Lanka's east coast.

"My sister and niece went to temple and they didn't come back," he said. "It's very heartbreaking, very sad news."

Getting news from the region is vital to families of the missing. Some are turning to media outlets like Radio Humsafar, a south Asian radio station based in Montreal.

"First they are anxious," said announcer Ashok Kumar of his listeners. Then, they want to know "What has happened? In which part of India has it happened? In which part of the world has it happened?"

For people like Robin Austin, there is happiness and relief. The Montreal man waited by the phone for hours before his twin brother John called from Phuket, Thailand to say he was alright.

"I feel very blessed," Austin told CTV's Canada AM.

He said he was watching a documentary about tsunami on television when he couldn't fall asleep. "Then I saw on the channel there was an earthquake... I figured maybe my brother's in that area," he said.

Austin said that when the phone rang at 3 a.m., it was like a psychic connection between twins. "It was my brother saying he's okay. "

His brother then went on to describe what happened.

"'The room filled up with water,' he said. He was in his boxer shorts and he was pinned against the roof," Austin related.

John told Robin he held his breath underwater for a minute or two minutes. Then, he felt his lungs filling with water. "He said, 'Is this the way I'm going to die?'" The front door flew open and John was being swept out to sea.

"He says, 'I didn't survive once but twice,' and grabbed onto a steel railing and the water came out of his lungs and he held on for dear life and made it to high ground."

There were also tears of relief in Quebec. The family of Marie-Pier Desharnais learned that she is safe, but her ordeal was horrific.

"People were crying all over," her aunt Manon Desharnais told CTV News. "She saw death, stuck in between the roof and the water."

Meanwhile, many Canadians are still waiting for news from their missing loved ones.

Officials in the stricken region say it could take days to find out how many people have been killed.

Foreign Affairs officials said it's difficult to know how many Canadians are in the region because it's rare for them to register with consulates or embassies when they go on holiday.

Anyone who has Canadian relatives in the affected areas should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa at 1-800-387-3124; or in Ottawa at (613) 996-8885.