Indonesia (AP):

Rescue workers pulled victims, some screaming in pain, from the heavy rubble of buildings felled by a powerful earthquake that a government official said killed at least 777 people.

The United Nation put the death toll at 1,100 and said it was likely to rise. The brunt of Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake, which originated in the sea off Sumatra island, appeared to have been borne by the city of Padang, where a government official said most of the deaths occurred.

The region was jolted by another powerful earthquake yesterday morning, causing damage but no reported fatalities. More than 500 buildings, including hotels, schools, hospitals and a mall, were destroyed or damaged in Padang. Thousands of people were still believed to be trapped in the rubble, said Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis centre. Workers used backhoes to shift debris.

The government official told The Associated Press that at about 300 were seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media. He said most of the dead were from Padang.

At the United Nations, the UN's humanitarian chief John Holmes disclosed yesterday that the latest figures "suggest the death toll has risen already to 1,100" and likely would go higher given the number of injured and those believed trapped in collapsed buildings."Oh God, help me! help me!" Friska Yuniwati, a 30-year-old woman, screamed in pain, as she was carried to an ambulance in downtown Padang. She had been pulled out minutes earlier from the rubble of a house, her face covered in bruises and eyes shut.

John Lee, a Singaporean guest at the flattened Maryani hotel, was pulled free by rescue workers who heard his cries for help. He had been trapped for 25 hours with a broken leg.