Leaders view tsunami devastation
Powell says Sri Lanka to get $25 million in U.S. aid
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(CNN) -- High-ranking international officials have toured regions hardest hit by the Indian Ocean tsunamis to see firsthand the devastation that has prompted one of the world's biggest relief efforts.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, visiting the Indonesian island of Sumatra, said Friday the destruction was the worst he had ever seen.
"You wonder where are the people? What has happened to them?" Annan said as he toured Aceh province, one of the areas hardest hit by the December 26 disaster.
"I have never seen such utter destruction mile after mile."
Annan and World Bank President James Wolfensohn flew over Sumatra's west coast in a Singaporean helicopter and then drove through the capital of Aceh province, Banda Aceh.
Despite around-the-clock efforts, many critical roads remain impassable in Aceh.
As many as 94,200 people have been confirmed dead in Indonesia, more than half of all those killed after a huge undersea earthquake sent giant waves crashing into the coastlines of about a dozen countries. Nearly 156,000 people are confirmed dead in the Indian Ocean disaster.
Meanwhile on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell -- who toured Sumatra the previous day -- traveled to Sri Lanka to inspect tsunami-devastated areas and discuss relief efforts with government officials. More than 46,000 people died in the island nation off India.
Powell toured the hard-hit city of Galle before returning to the capital Colombo for talks.
During his visit, Powell promised at least $25 million in U.S. aid to Sri Lanka as part of Washington's $350 million pledge to the tsunami-struck areas.
The United States has close to 13,000 military personnel in the region, with 17 Navy ships, one U.S. Coast Guard cutter and about 90 aircraft.
"We're going to do more," he told a news conference at Colombo international airport, where a massive relief effort is under way.
"Four million dollars in goods are being distributed now. Another $10 million is going to be spent on employment programs that will employ Sri Lankans in the cleanup and reconstruction effort and start the economy going again in those parts of the country that were hit hardest."
A U.N. official later said every tsunami victim in Sri Lanka will probably have received initial aid by this weekend.
Also Friday, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw arrived on the Thai island of Phuket to visit what used to be a top holiday destination for Britons and talk to people still searching for missing loved ones. (Full story)
Even as survivors in stricken areas complain of confusion and even chaos plaguing relief efforts, agencies in the region say they are making progress in organizing and delivering goods, although remote areas remain a problem.
Some aid coordinators say they are close to moving beyond day-to-day needs and are looking at repairing infrastructure and communications.
The United Nations is increasing its presence in the region, working to coordinate relief efforts. In Banda Aceh alone, there are 50 U.N. international workers, hundreds of national staff, and as many as 200 workers with non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross.
Meanwhile, G7 nations have taken steps to ease the financial struggles of tsunami-hit nations by agreeing to freeze debt-repayments. (Full story)
On Thursday world leaders, meeting in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, pledged to work together on relief and reconstruction.
World leaders also agreed to quickly set up a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean, similar to the one in place in the Pacific. But they gave no specifics on funding or logistics for such a system.
At Thursday's meeting, Powell said the United Nations would take over coordination of the relief effort from a core group of nations.
Powell had convened the core group -- -- the United States, Australia, Japan, India, Canada and the Netherlands -- at U.S. President George W. Bush's request following criticism his administration had not responded aggressively enough to the crisis.
The group will disband and blend its role into the broader U.N. effort, Powell said. (Full story)
Annan told delegates at the donor meeting that Indian Ocean countries would need $977 million in cash assistance over the next six months to recover. (Full story)
Tens of thousands of people are still missing. The final death toll may never be known, as many people were swept out to sea or buried under mud and rubble.
More than 500,000 people have been injured, while tens of thousands of survivors face a shortage of clean drinking water, food and medicine.
The international community has stepped forward with pledges of nearly $4 billion and promises of more. Country-by-country pledges)
Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Wednesday said his country would donate an additional billion Australian dollars ($764.5 million) to a partnership with Indonesia for rehabilitation. (Full story)
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also came up with more cash, announcing his government was raising its pledge to 500 million euros ($660 million). (Full story)
CNN correspondents Mike Chinoy in Aceh and Satinder Bindra and John King in Sri Lanka contributed to this report.
Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
