Haiti earthquake At least 227 dead and hundreds more missing after devastating tremor
At least 227 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing in Haiti's devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
Authorities still searching through rubble say hundreds remained injured or missing after a major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday morning.
The 7.2 magnitude quake, which was felt as far away as Cuba and Jamaica, is feared likely to have caused widespread destruction.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the earthquake has caused “thousands of fatalities†and “tens of thousands of injuries in poor mountainous communities".
The huge tremor sent shockwaves across the Caribbean, where people fled their homes, and houses, churches, and hotels collapsed into piles of rubble.
It is the latest tragedy to hit the impoverished nation already mired in humanitarian and political crises.
Buildings are pictured reduced to rubble after a powerful Saturday morning earthquake strikes Haiti ( @JCOMHaiti/Twitter) The earthquake quake struck around 8.30 a.m. local time, 8km from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes and about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10 km, the USGS said.
The seismic event monitoring body issued a "red alert" - meaning high numbers of casualties are probable and destruction is likely to be widespread.
In Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, the tremor was strongly felt but did not appear to have caused major damage, according to witnesses, meaning there will likely be fewer fatalities than the devastating 2010 disaster.
The latest shock sparked a tsunami warning, sending some people on the coastlines fleeing into the mountains before the alarm was lifted.
Buildings are pictured severely damaged by the 7.2magnitude quake ( @JCOMHaiti/Twitter) The nearest big town to the quake's epicentre was Les Cayes, with a population of around 126,000, where many buildings collapsed or suffered major damage, according to authorities, who said they were searching for survivors in the rubble.
Les Cayes locals said water had briefly flooded the coastal town, causing panic amid fear of a surge, but the water appeared to retreat.
"We've counted a total of 29 fatalities to date and an important number of injured," Civil Protection Director Jerry Chandler told a news conference earlier this evening.
Haiti is still recovering from a massive quake that struck the struggling nation 11 years ago, killing an estimated 300,000 people and leaving many homeless.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry declared a month-long state of emergency following the latest disaster.
Buildings collapsed in the huge shake, that struck around 8.30am local time ( @JCOMHaiti/Twitter) US President Joe Biden authorised an immediate response to the earthquake and appointed an Agency for International Development coordinator to lead the effort.
The earthquake comes just over a month after the assassination of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise.
He had been ruling by decree, which deepened the country's political turmoil at a time when vast numbers of Haitians are grappling with growing hunger and healthcare services overwhelmed by the Covid pandemic.
Haiti had only recently recovered from Hurricane Matthew, which struck in 2016, killing hundreds and causing widespread devastation.
The country now faces a potential threat from Tropical Storm Grace, which could bring heavy rains early next week.
"This country just never finds a break! Each year of mismanagement did not hurt but the cumulative effects made us vulnerable to everything," Haitian entrepreneur Marc Alain Boucicault wrote on Twitter.
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