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Tsunami more horrifying than war: Powell
"I have been in war and I have been through a number of hurricanes, tornados ... but I have never seen anything like this," said America's former top soldier.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell flew over the worst scenes of devastation from Asia's tsunami on Wednesday and said it was more horrifying than wars he had witnessed during decades as a soldier.
The United Nations warned governments and rebel groups in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Somalia to keep the peace or risk a cut-off in aid to victims of the December Tsunami.
As Powell got a bird's-eye view of the battered northwest coastline of Indonesia's Sumatra island, world leaders began gathering in Jakarta for a summit on Thursday designed to rebuild millions of lives shattered by the December 26 disaster.
Australia and Germany pledged more than $1 billion in aid, raising the UN's global tally to more than $3 billion, and a debt relief initiative by rich nations gathered momentum.
Powell promised Washington would send more helicopters, food and clean water to isolated survivors of the tsunami, which the United Nations estimates killed around 150,000 people.
"I have been in war and I have been through a number of hurricanes, tornados and other relief operations, but I have never seen anything like this," said America's former top soldier.
