u.s. pledges $15 million for tsunami aid, page-5

Economy of 11 trillion dollars:

"The United States, at the president's direction, will be a leading partner in one of the most significant relief, rescue and recovery challenges that the world has ever known," the White House said.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said 400,000 dollars had been distributed immediately through embassies in India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka and another four million dollars would be donated to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which has made an appeal for more than six million dollars.

US Agency for International Development administrator Ed Fox said that another 10 million dollars would be added to take the total to about 15 million dollars. Three US navy reconaissance planes were sent to Thailand to search for survivors.