Haiti: the toll of earthquakes increases | The death toll has reached nearly 1,300 and around 6,000 injured

The death toll in the powerful earthquake in Haiti climbed to nearly 1,300 on Sunday as crews desperately dig into collapsed buildings for survivors. “The number of people killed by the earthquake rose to 1,297 on August 15,” said the service, which had recently reported 724 deaths. He also updated the number of injured to more than 5,700, or 2,800.

After a harrowing night of aftershocks, heavy machinery, trucks and backhoes moved cement slabs from collapsed buildings in the town of Los Cayos, near the quake’s epicenter.

The magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred at 8:29 a.m. (12:29 GMT) on Saturday about 160 km from the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Only the ruins of Marcel François’ two-story house in Los Cayos remain. “It is by the grace of God and also thanks to my phone that I am alive, because I was able to tell people outside where I was,” the 30-year-old told AFP. His younger brother, Job, and the neighbors spent more than three hours pulling him out of the rubble with no tools other than their arms. “I was on the bus to go to work when the earthquake occurred. I was able to reach Marcel by phone, but he said ‘Come and save me, I’m under the cement'”, says Job François.

After being rescued among concrete blocks and broken furniture, injured in the head, Marcel François was immediately taken to hospital in shock, as he had no news of his 10-month-old daughter, still trapped in the ruins. .

“I thought my daughter was dead. When I arrived at the hospital I was crying, I was resigned,” said the 30-year-old man, moved. Thanks to the teamwork of the locals and her uncle, little Ruth Marlee Alliyah François was taken from the house four hours after the earthquake.

Marcel and Job François hope that the professional teams will help them on Sunday morning to bring out of the rubble the lifeless body of their tenant, a 27-year-old woman who lived on the ground floor of the residence and who died a few minutes later. minutes of the earthquake.

Rescue blocked

Efforts to help victims could be hampered as Tropical Storm Grace approaches, with the potential for torrential downpours and flooding, according to the US National Weather Service.

The health ministry has sent staff and medicine to the southwestern peninsula, but emergency logistics are also compromised by the insecurity that has plagued Haiti for months. The only road that connects the capital to the southern half crosses the poor neighborhood of Martissant for just over two kilometers, which has been under the control of armed gangs since early June, preventing free movement. The few hospitals in the affected areas are struggling to provide emergency care. Pope Francis expressed his “solidarity” with the Haitian people on Sunday, saying he hoped the international community would get involved on their behalf. Many countries, such as the United States, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Ecuador, have already offered to help by sending personnel, emergency rations and medical supplies. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who declared a state of emergency for one month on Saturday in the four departments affected by the disaster, thanked the international community on Sunday. “We want to provide a more adequate response than in 2010 after the earthquake. Any aid that comes from abroad must be coordinated by the Directorate of Civil Protection”, demanded the head of government, while calling on his fellow citizens to ” national unity “. “Let’s forget our quarrels,” he begged.

America’s poorest country still remembers the magnitude 7 earthquake of January 12, 2010, which left much of Port-au-Prince and neighboring towns in dusty ruins. More than 200,000 people died and 300,000 others were injured, while 1.5 million Haitians were left homeless. The country’s efforts to recover from the disaster have been hampered by severe political instability. Eleven years later, the island remains plunged into an acute socio-political crisis, exacerbated by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last month.