Aid Reaches Indonesia Island As Officials Begin To Assess Quake Damage

Flights carrying relief supplies have reached the small northwestern Indonesian island of Nias, where officials fear Monday's massive earthquake killed more than one thousand people.

Officials say about 80 percent of the buildings in Nias' main city of Gunungsitoli may have been destroyed when the eight-point-seven-magnitude earthquake shook the region Monday night.

Relief workers have reported widespread devastation on the island and they fear that many victims are trapped in the debris.

In Washington President Bush offered U.S. aid and his condolences to the victims. Several countries in the region - China, India, Australia, Japan, Russia, Singapore - also have pledged support for those affected by the disaster.

Monday's quake was some 200 kilometers southeast of where an even stronger earthquake last December caused a massive tsunami that killed nearly 300-thousand people. Monday's temblor triggered tsunami warnings in several countries in the region - Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and India - sparking panic among coastal dwellers.