Earthquake death toll estimated to be 1,000

GUNUNG SITOLI, Indonesia -- Firefighters freed a man trapped in a crumpled house on remote Nias island on Wednesday, 36 hours after he was buried in rubble. As the first foreign military help arrived, officials said an estimated 1,000 people had died in the region's latest large earthquake.\nLater, a magnitude-6.3 quake was reported off the west coast of northern Sumatra, the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., said. The quake, which occurred about 19 miles underground, was in the same region as Monday night's temblor. There were no immediate reports of a tsunami warning being issued or of any casualties or damages.\nThe quake, which was one of at least four aftershocks felt in the last 24 hours, was centered about 170 miles south of Banda Aceh. Residents there did not feel any shaking. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said no tsunami warning was issued.\nResidents in Nias island's main town of Gunung Sitoli swarmed over collapsed buildings, searching frantically for survivors of the country's second catastrophe in three months, after December's massive quake and tsunami.\nFrench firefighters from the agency Firefighters Without Borders -- who rushed to the island from Aceh province's west coast -- used a car jack to free the legs of 25-year-old television repairman Jansen Silalalahi, who had been pinned between a motorbike and a cupboard.\nAs he was lifted out of the rubble of what was once a three-story building, Silalalahi smiled weakly and gave a thumbs-up.\n"People knew I was there but it was difficult to reach me. I kept screaming whenever I heard anyone," said Silalalahi, who did not appear to be badly injured. "I feel relief because now I am safe."\nThe improvised rescue highlighted the crisis situation officials face here: There are thousands of collapsed buildings and no machinery to help search the rubble for survivors.\nThe town's hospital was barely functioning: It lacked power or water, and it had no fuel for generators.\n"We know there are many people critically injured," said Dr. Norman Peeler, a medical coordinator from the World Health Organization. "It is essential they get treatment -- infections spread easily in open wounds."\nTwo Singaporean military helicopters landed Wednesday and distributed food and water to a frantic crowd of survivors. They also delivered a car, medical supplies, generators and 20 Singaporean troops and medics. A third helicopter was unable to touch down because there were so many survivors at the landing area.\nParts of Banyak island appeared to have sunk by up to three feet, leaving some coastal homes inundated with sea water, Aceh province's acting governor Azwar Abubakar said. But despite previous reports, there were no confirmed deaths on the island, he said in televised comments.\nMonday's 8.7-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island, some 75 miles north of Nias. The even-bigger quake that generated the region's devastating tsunami on Dec. 26 hit an area further northwest along the Sumatran coast.