Magnitude-7 earthquake kills 30,000 in Asia

43,000 injured; Musharraf pleads for aid to Pakistan; Bush offers assistance

BALAKOT, Pakistan - Villagers desperate to find survivors dug with bare hands Sunday through the debris of a collapsed school where children had been heard crying beneath the rubble after a massive earthquake killed more than 20,000.

Pakistani officials said the toll could go higher, and a provincial official in Kashmir said more than 30,000 died in that province alone.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf called Saturday�s magnitude-7.7 earthquake the country�s worst on record and appealed for urgent help, particularly cargo helicopters to reach remote areas cut off by landslides. Rival India, which reported more than 600 dead, offered assistance.

President Bush said Sunday the United States is sending cash and eight helicopters in response to Pakistan�s plea for international assistance with earthquake recovery.

�Thousands of people have died, thousands are wounded, and the United States of America wants to help,� Bush said from the Oval Office.