PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Rescue workers were scrambling to find
survivors after a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, killing at
least 724 and toppling buildings in the disaster-plagued Caribbean nation still
recovering from a devastating 2010 quake.
اضافة اعلان
The epicenter of the tremor, which rattled homes and sent terrified locals
fleeing for safety Saturday morning, was about 160km by road west of the center
of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince.
Churches, businesses, schools, and homes crumbled in the quake that trapped
hundreds of victims under rubble and left at least 2,800 people injured, the
country's civil protection agency said.
Rescuers raced against the clock to find survivors, with the agency tweeting
that efforts by "both professional rescuers and members of the public have
led to many people being pulled from the rubble," adding that already
overburdened hospitals continued to receive injured.
Hours after the quake, the agency announced the death toll had jumped to
304, ticking upwards throughout the day from a first report of 29 fatalities.
The death toll now stands at 724.
The quake was felt in much of the Caribbean, emanating from the epicenter at
Haiti's southwestern peninsula.
The civil protection agency said at least 160 people were killed in the
country's South department alone.
"Lots of homes are destroyed, people are dead and some are at the
hospital," 21-year-old Christella Saint Hilaire, who lives near the
epicenter, told AFP.
Hospitals in the regions hardest hit by the quake were already struggling to
provide emergency care and at least three were full, according to Jerry
Chandler, head of the civil protection agency.
State of emergency
Haiti's health ministry quickly dispatched personnel and medicine to the
southwestern peninsula, but their arrival could be hampered by the insecurity
that has for months plagued the poorest country in the Americas.
The United States and other nations swiftly pledged support, with President
Joe Biden approving "immediate" aid efforts and Haiti's neighbor the
Dominican Republic shipping 10,000 food rations and medical equipment.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was "following the latest unfolding
tragedy in Haiti."
"The UN is working to support rescue and relief efforts," he
tweeted.
A medical brigade of 253 Cuban doctors deployed in Haiti was traveling to
treat the injured and adapt a Port-au-Prince hospital until now used for Covid
patients, their head said on Cuban television.
In Ecuador, the Quito Fire Department said it was preparing to send a team
of 34 personnel specialized in urban search and rescue.
Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela also offered help while
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Haitians "can count on the
support of Spain to come through this terrible event."
Tennis star Naomi Osaka, whose father is Haitian, said she was going to
donate her prize money from an upcoming tournament to help quake victims.
"Really hurts to see all the devastation that's going on in Haiti, and
I feel like we really can't catch a break," Osaka tweeted.
Images on social media showed people frantically trying to pull victims from
the ruins of caved-in buildings, while screaming bystanders sought safety in
the streets outside their homes.
"Houses and their surrounding walls have collapsed. The roof of the
cathedral has fallen down," resident Job Joseph told AFP from the city of
Jeremie on Haiti's western end.
Heavy damage was reported in the center of the city, home to around 200,000
people and composed primarily of single-story buildings.
The damage in the city of Les Cayes appeared to be significant, including
the collapse of a multi-story hotel.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who surveyed the damage via helicopter, declared
a state of emergency for one month while calling on the nation to "show
solidarity" and not panic.
Rescue efforts could be hampered by Tropical Storm Grace, which is expected
to bring heavy rainfall and possible flash floods to Haiti from late Monday,
according to the US National Weather Service.
'People are
terrified'
A brief tsunami alert after the quake sent parents "fleeing the city
with their children in arms," Jeremie resident Tamas Jean Pierre said.
"People are terrified."
A 7.0-magnitude quake in January 2010 left much of Port-au-Prince and
nearby cities in ruins, killing more than 200,000.
More than 1.5 million Haitians were made homeless in the disaster which also
destroyed 60 percent of Haiti's healthcare system, leaving island authorities
and the international humanitarian community with a colossal challenge.
The rebuilding of the country's main hospital remains incomplete, and NGOs
have struggled to make up for the state's many deficiencies.
The latest quake comes just over a month after president Jovenel Moise was
assassinated, shaking a country already battling poverty, spiraling gang
violence, and COVID-19.
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