Bush addresses nation in wake of crash

US President George W Bush has spoken to the nation after an American Airlines jet crashed in the New York borough of Queens, apparently killing all 255 people on board and injuring several people on the ground.

The US President, who has come from a meeting with Nelson Mandela, said: "It is heart-breaking to pick up the phone and call my friend Rudolph Giuliani and once again express my condolences.

"I can assure you the federal government will respond as quickly as possible.

"New York people have suffered mightily and they are suffering again but they are resilient, strong and courageous."

He added: "I want to express my heartfelt sympathies for the citizens of New York, those on the aeroplane, those whose houses were damaged and those who were hurt on the ground in the recent incident."

Bush postponed a scheduled meeting with Russian and American reporters so he could meet with advisers to discuss the crash.

He spoke today with New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani and with New York Governor George Pataki and assured them the federal government would do everything it could to help.

"The president is on top of it. They're alert; they're watching everything else all over the country," Giuliani said earlier today.