Fresh tremors strike Haiti still reeling from earthquake, death toll rises
The situation seems grim as families were sleeping on mattresses in the streets, across the seaside city.
FollowThe southern Haitian city of Les Cayes, reeling from the devastating earthquake that killed almost 2,200 people across the Caribbean nation and injured thousands more, yet again witnessed tremors that shook buildings.
A police officer on patrol in Les Cayes said there were no immediate reports of further deaths or damage in the region.
The situation seems grim as families were sleeping on mattresses in the streets, across the seaside city.
Haitian authorities late on Wednesday raised the death toll from the quake to 2,189.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry said that the quake had left Haiti “on its knees”, as survivors were increasingly frustrated about the inactive arrival of relief materials in hard-hit areas.
He had promised a rapid increase in aid, however, he conceded that the Caribbean nation was in trouble late on Wednesday.
The devastation is centered in the country’s southwestern area, where healthcare has been severely damaged while some have reached capacity and people have lost homes and loved ones.
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 9,900 people injured.
Also read: Haiti earthquake: Death toll rises to 1,941 as survivors for food, medical aid and shelter
Dozens of people went to Les Cayes airport demanding food after a helicopter arrived carrying supplies, a witness told the Reuters news agency. Police intervened to allow a truck carrying aid to leave.
Search and rescue efforts have been hampered due to a tropical storm that lashed Haiti with rain, causing dangerous flooding.
Haiti was hit by an earthquake of magnitude-7.2 hit at 8:30 am local time on August 14. The epicenter of the quake was located about 7.5 miles from the southern town of Saint-Louis du Sud and 78 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to the US Geological Survey. It had a depth of 6.2 miles.
The poorest country in the Americas, the country in the Caribbean is still recovering from a 2010 quake that killed over 200,000.
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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