Magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti: 1,419 dead – News

The death toll from the earthquake that struck Haiti on Monday has risen to at least 1,419 and the number of injured to 6,900, authorities say, as relief efforts continue and a red alert is maintained in the area. , located 160 kilometers from the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

Meanwhile, in terms of material damage, reports have indicated the destruction of more than 37,000 homes, the news agency reported. AFP.

The situation worsens as Tropical Storm Grace dumps torrential rains and threatens flooding and landslides in Haiti and neighboring Dominican Republic, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center has warned.

“There will likely be a large number of casualties and significant damage, and the disaster is likely to be widespread,” the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported this morning, issuing a red alert “for quake-related deaths and losses. of land. ”which, according to the organization, will require an international response.

Hundreds of people are still trapped in the rubble.

This Sunday morning, Pope Francis made a request to the “international community” to help the impoverished country which has yet to recover from the 2010 earthquake which left more than 200,000 dead and some 300,000 injured.

/ Home Integration code /

Pray for #Haiti very sad #earthquake Again @Red Cross pic.twitter.com/H8Y2f8ks2U

– Henry Beaucejour (@HBeaucejour) August 14, 2021

/ Complete the embed code /

In Port-au-Prince, the construction of the country’s main hospital remains incomplete.

According to the USGS, the earthquake that occurred on Saturday morning caused “secondary hazards such as landslides” that could have caused more deaths.

In addition, he stressed that in general the “population of this region resides in structures vulnerable to earthquakes” since the predominant constructions are made of “mud walls and adobe blocks”.

/ Home Integration code /

???? FLASH – One #earthquake of magnitude of magnitude 7.2 touched #Haiti. Significant damage is to be reported. (American Center for Seismology) pic.twitter.com/2IAiKVobyF

– Médiavenir (@Mediavenir) August 14, 2021

/ Complete the embed code /

He also clarified that, like that of January 12, 2010, yesterday’s earthquake occurred along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone.

After flying over the area, the head of government, Ariel Henry, declared a state of emergency for one month in the four departments affected by the disaster.

“Many houses are destroyed, there are deaths and many are hospitalized,” Christella Saint Hilaire, who lives near the epicenter, told AFP news agency.

In Les Cayes, the third largest city in the country, a multi-storey hotel collapsed while in Jérémie, where more than 200,000 people live, the damage is also significant.

“The houses and the perimeter walls collapsed. The roof of the cathedral collapsed,” said Job Joseph, a resident.

Rescue efforts could be overshadowed by the proximity of Tropical Storm Grace, which threatens rain and flooding, according to the US Weather Service.

But in addition to the damage caused by the earthquake, Haiti, the poorest country in America, faces a delicate political situation marked by the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, on July 7.

Despite the fact that the Ministry of Health quickly sent personnel and medicines to the southeastern peninsula affected by the earthquake, the arrival is conditioned by insecurity as armed gangs block the only road that connects the region to the capital.

/ Home Embedded Code /

/ End of integration code /

This Saturday, on his Twitter account, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and assured that the organization “is working to support the rescue and relief efforts”.

In this regard, the Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry gave the order to fully mobilize “all the resources” of the Haitian Government to come to the aid of the victims and appealed for the cooperation of the population to save this new tragedy. .

The earthquake, which occurred at 8:30 a.m. local (9:30 a.m. in Argentina), was recorded about 12 kilometers from the city of Saint-Louis du Sud, and its epicenter was 10 kilometers deep, according to the report. USGS.

The Argentine government has expressed its “deep regret” for the significant human and material losses suffered by the “people of Haiti as a result of a devastating earthquake”.

The tremor was felt across the country and material damage was recorded in the towns of Jérémie and Los Cayos, on the southwest peninsula of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic, according to reports. eyewitness footage, AFP news agency reported.

“Many houses are destroyed, there are dead and some are in hospital,” Christella Saint Hilaire, who lives near the epicenter, told the same agency.

And he added: “Everyone is on the streets now and aftershocks keep happening”

The long initial tremor was felt across much of the Caribbean, including Santiago de Cuba (about 300 kilometers from Saint Louis du Sud), where many residents left their homes, according to Radio Rebelde.

The earthquake damaged schools and homes in Haiti’s southwestern peninsula, according to images posted on social media by witnesses.

In dialogue with Channel 3Oscar Martínez, an Argentinian brigadist in Haiti, said that where he is, in the north-central part of the country, “the aftershock came with slight shaking.”

In addition, he added that the official information is that “there is very serious structural damage in the south of the country and collapses of houses, buildings and churches”.

A few minutes after the earthquake, a 5.2 magnitude aftershock was recorded 17 kilometers from the town of Chantal, still with a hypocenter 10 kilometers deep.

According to the local Gazette Haiti portal, the earthquake was felt for several seconds in the Caribbean country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, which is about 130 kilometers from the epicenter.

“Tsunami waves of up to one or three meters above tidal level are possible on some coasts of Haiti,” said the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), without specifying specific areas of the country.

The story repeats itself

It must be remembered that january 2010, there was a similar earthquake that affected a large part of Port-au-Prince and neighboring towns, the consequences of which have left more than 200,000 dead and 300,000 injured.

Then, more than 1.5 million Haitians were left homeless, leaving the island authorities and the international humanitarian community to face a colossal challenge in a country devoid of cadastre and building codes.

The earthquake destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, as well as administrative buildings and schools, as well as 60% of the Haitian health system.

Reconstruction of the country’s main hospital remains incomplete and non-governmental organizations have sought to address the state’s many shortcomings.