Authorities in Haiti confirm death after the earthquake that hit the western part of Haiti on Saturday, reports AP.
The latest death toll now recorded in Haiti is at least 227 people, according to Haiti’s civil protection office at Twitter.
Furthermore, they write that over hundreds of people are injured or missing.
On Saturday afternoon Norwegian time, a strong earthquake was reported in Haiti in the Caribbean, according to the USGS.
According to the USGS, many people may have lost their lives in the poor and impassable mountain areas of the country. They estimate “high death rates”.
The quake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, struck twelve kilometers from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes. The quake’s depth was about 10 kilometers, according to the USGS.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry is on his way to the affected area, where a disaster center has already been set up. He says that many people have lost their lives and that the destruction is great.
– The authorities declare a state of emergency. We will act quickly, the Prime Minister writes Twitter.
LAP: The map shows where the earthquake was registered and the area that may be at risk of a possible tsunami. An earlier tsunami alert has now been canceled. Photo: EPA / USGS
view more
Extensive damage
According to CNN there has been major damage as a result of aftershocks with a magnitude of 5.2.
The rather prolonged earthquake could be felt all over the country, and material damage has already been reported on the peninsula in southwestern Haiti, according to photos uploaded by local witnesses.
Several victims are trapped under the ruins of a hotel in the town of Les Cayes, writes the local media The Nouvelliste. Rescue crews are struggling to find survivors, according to witnesses.
Human disasters
According to a witness the AP has spoken to, says she was awakened by the earthquake when her bed shook.
– I woke up and did not have time to put on my shoes. We survived the 2010 earthquake, and all I could think about was running. I later found out that my two children and my mother were still inside. My neighbor went in again and asked them to get out. We ran out into the street, says Naomi Verneus, a local woman in Port-au-Prince to AP.
Forecast Tsunami
The epicenter was reported 15 miles (15 kilometers) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The USGS tsunami alert was previously issued. It is now canceled.
In Port-au-Prince, many people fled into the streets for fear that the houses could collapse when the quake struck at half past eight in the morning.
Haiti is still struggling after that huge earthquake eleven years ago which cost an estimated 200,000 lives.
GROWTH: Several buildings have collapsed in the earthquake, such as this church in the city of Les Cayes in Haiti. Photo: AP Photo / Delot Jean / NTB
view more
The earthquake has hit the country just over a month after that President Jovenel Moses was killed.
This has led to the country being in a political crisis, and humanitarian aid groups are now worried that the earthquake will lead to further problems for the country, according to the AP.
“We are concerned that this earthquake is another crisis, on top of what the country is already facing – including the deteriorating political situation following the president’s assassination attempt, COVID and food security,” Jean-Wickens Merone, spokesman for World Vision Haiti, told AP.
–
