Haiti earthquake: Death toll in massive quake jumps to over 1200, over 5700 injured
By Team Newsable | First Published Aug 16, 2021, 11:05 AM ISTThe 7.2-magnitude tremor struck on Saturday about 100 miles to the west of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince, which was devastated in a massive 2010 quake.
The Caribbean nation, which is still reeling from its president's assassination, the death count in Haiti's powerful earthquake jumped over 1,200 as crews desperately dug through collapsed buildings for survivors.
The 7.2-magnitude tremor struck on Saturday about 100 miles to the west of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince, which was devastated in a massive 2010 quake.
According to the country's civil protection agency, around 13,600 buildings were destroyed and over 13,700 damaged, trapping hundreds under rubble and leaving more than 5,700 people injured.
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Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced a state of emergency and promised to "deploy all of the administration's resources to aid victims."
Churches, hotels, hospitals, and residences were all destroyed by the quake and its aftershocks. It also produced a massive landslide, which closed the main route from Les Cayes to Jeremie. Following President Jovenel Moise's assassination on July 7, the country was still in shock.
The quake triggered a series of aftershocks, and Tropical Storm Grace is expected to reach the crisis-prone country on Monday.
As the death toll from Saturday's huge earthquake rises, the United States has dispatched search and rescue personnel to assist and identify survivors among the wreckage of fallen buildings in Haiti.
Similarly, in January 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake destroyed much of Port-au-Prince and surrounding communities, killing over 200,000 people.
More than 1.5 million Haitians were displaced by the tragedy, which also devastated 60% of the country's healthcare system, posing a massive challenge to island authorities and the worldwide humanitarian community.
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