Powerful quake adds to Haiti's misery, killing at least 304

LES CAYES – A almighty magnitude 7.2 earthquake added to the misery successful Haiti, sidesplitting astatine slightest 304 people, injuring a minimum of 1,800 others and destroying hundreds of homes. People successful the Caribbean land federation rushed into the streets to question information and to assistance help rescue those trapped successful the rubble of collapsed homes, hotels and different structures.

Saturday’s earthquake struck the southwestern portion of the hemisphere’s poorest nation, astir razing immoderate towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts successful 2 of the hardest-hit communities. The catastrophe besides added to the plight of Haitians, who were already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a statesmanlike assassination and deepening poverty.

The epicenter of the quake was astir 125 kilometers (78 miles) westbound of the superior of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The wide harm could worsen by aboriginal adjacent week, with Tropical Storm Grace predicted to scope Haiti precocious Monday oregon aboriginal Tuesday.

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Aftershocks were felt passim the time and precocious into the night, erstwhile galore radical present stateless oregon frightened by the anticipation of their fractured homes collapsing connected them stayed successful the streets to slumber — if their nerves allowed them.

In the severely damaged coastal municipality of Les Cayes, nether acheronian that was lone punctured by flashlights, immoderate praised God for surviving the earthquake.

“We are live contiguous due to the fact that God loves us,” said Marie-claire Jean-Pierre, whose location collapsed a infinitesimal aft she and her lad stepped extracurricular erstwhile they felt the crushed statesman to shake.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry said helium was rushing assistance to areas wherever towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming patients. A erstwhile legislator rented a backstage airplane to determination injured radical from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince for aesculapian assistance.

Henry declared a one-month authorities of exigency for the full state and said helium would not inquire for planetary assistance until the grade of the damages was known.

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“The astir important happening is to retrieve arsenic galore survivors arsenic imaginable nether the rubble,” said Henry. “We person learned that the section hospitals, successful peculiar that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people.”

Jerry Chandler, manager of Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection, told reporters that the decease toll stood astatine 304 Saturday night. Rescue workers and bystanders were capable to propulsion galore radical to information from the rubble.

Chandler said a partial number of structural harm included astatine slightest 860 destroyed homes and much than 700 damaged. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches were besides affected.

On the tiny land of Ile-a-Vache, astir 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) from Les Cayes, the quake damaged a seaside edifice fashionable with Haitian officials, concern leaders, diplomats and humanitarian workers. Fernand Sajous, proprietor of the Abaka Bay Resort, said by telephone that 9 of the hotel’s 30 rooms collapsed, but helium said they were vacant astatine the clip and nary 1 was injured.

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“They disappeared — conscionable similar that,” Sajous said.

People successful Les Cayes tried to propulsion guests from the rubble of a collapsed hotel, but arsenic the prima set, they had lone been capable to retrieve the assemblage of a 7-year-old miss whose location was down the facility.

“I person 8 kids, and I was looking for the past one,” Jean-Claude Daniel said done tears. “I volition ne'er spot her again alive. The earthquake destroyed my life. It took a kid distant from me.”

The reports of overwhelmed hospitals travel arsenic Haiti struggles with the pandemic and a deficiency of resources to woody with it. Just past month, the state of 11 cardinal radical received its archetypal batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines, via a United Nations programme for low-income countries.

The earthquake besides struck conscionable implicit a period aft President Jovenel Moïse was changeable to decease successful his home, sending the state into governmental chaos. His widow, Martine Moïse, who was earnestly wounded successful the attack, posted a connection connected Twitter calling for unity among Haitians: “Let’s enactment our shoulders unneurotic to bring solidarity.”

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As helium boarded a level bound for Les Cayes, Henry said helium wanted “structured solidarity” to guarantee the effect was coordinated to debar the disorder that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, erstwhile assistance was dilatory to scope residents aft arsenic galore arsenic 300,000 Haitians were killed.

U.S. President Joe Biden authorized an contiguous effect and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power arsenic the elder authoritative coordinating the U.S effort to assistance Haiti. USAID volition assistance to measure harm and assistance successful rebuilding, said Biden, who called the United States a “close and enduring person to the radical of Haiti.”

Argentina and Chile besides were among the archetypal nations to committedness help.

Humanitarian workers said pack enactment successful the seaside territory of Martissant, conscionable westbound of the Haitian capital, besides was complicating alleviation efforts.

“Nobody tin question done the area,” Ndiaga Seck, a UNICEF spokesperson successful Port-au-Prince, said by phone. “We tin lone alert implicit oregon instrumentality different route.”

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Seck said accusation astir deaths and harm was dilatory coming to Port-au-Prince due to the fact that of spotty net service, but UNICEF planned to nonstop aesculapian supplies to 2 hospitals successful the south, successful Les Cayes and Jeremie.

People successful Port-au-Prince felt the tremor and galore rushed into the streets successful fear, though determination did not look to beryllium harm there.

Haiti, wherever galore unrecorded successful tenuous circumstances, is susceptible to earthquakes and hurricanes. It was struck by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake successful 2018 that killed much than a twelve people.

By precocious Saturday, the land had experienced six aftershocks stronger than 5.0 and 9 supra 4.0.

Claude Prepetit, a Haitian civilian technologist and geologist, warned of the information from cracked structures.

“More oregon little intensive aftershocks are to beryllium expected for a month,” helium said, cautioning that immoderate buildings, “badly damaged during the earthquake, tin illness during aftershocks.”

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Associated Press writer Regina Garcia Cano reported this communicative from Mexico City and AP writer Evens Sanon reported successful Les Cayes. AP writer Tammy Webber successful Fenton, Michigan, Josh Boak successful Washington and Trenton Daniel successful New York contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.