Bush cuts holiday short due to Katrina

SAN DIEGO - United States president George W Bush, on a month-long vacation at his Texas ranch, will return to Washington earlier than planned, to help oversee recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina, the White House said.

Up to 80 people have been reported dead in Mississippi as a result of the storm, and floodwaters have poured into low-lying New Orleans.

Risk analysts estimated the storm, which struck on Monday, would cost insurers US$26 billion ($37.9 billion), the most in US history.

"Right now, our priority is on saving lives, and we are still in the midst of search and rescue operations," Bush said.

"The federal, state and local governments are working side by side to do all we can to help people get back on their feet, and we have got a lot of work to do."

Bush had been scheduled to return to Washington on Friday but White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters travelling with Bush in California that the president decided to return on Wednesday because of the hurricane.

He has already approved disaster declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi to help them get government aid.

- REUTERS