Haiti earthquake: At least 304 dead after 7.2 magnitude shock

14 August 2021, 23:23

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

A red alert for a high amount of casualties has been issued after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and left at least 304 people dead.

Haiti's Civil Protection Agency told US media that there have been "fatalities and damage" following numerous tremors, and reports say it announced the death toll on Saturday.

The US Geological Survey issued a "red alert for shaking-related fatalities".

"High casualties are probable and the disaster is likely widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response," it added.

A tsunami threat was issued but that has now passed, according to the US Tsunami Warning System.

The country, where many live in poverty, is especially vulnerable to natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes.

Dr Ariel Henry, Haiti's prime minister, declared a month-long state of emergency.

He said in a tweet: "I extend my sympathies to the parents of the victims of this violent earthquake which caused several losses of human and material lives in several geographical departments of the country."

He later announced he was touring affected areas.

"I am currently in the department of Grand 'Anse to see the extent of the damage in order to better coordinate government action on the ground. Resources have been mobilized since this morning to provide aid and assistance to the victims of this devastating earthquake," the PM tweeted.

In the capital of Port-au-Prince, people were seen fleeing their homes but there did not appear to be damage there.

Naomi Verneus, 34, who lives in Port-au-Prince, said she was jolted awake by the earthquake and her bed was shaking.

"I woke up and didn't have time to put my shoes on," she said.

"We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside.

"My neighbour went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street."

The president of Haiti's neighbour the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, said in a tweet: "I express, on behalf of myself and the Dominican Government, our dismay at the earthquake that struck Haiti this morning.

"I have instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs to communicate with the Haitian Prime Minister to facilitate any assistance within our means.”

Other leaders in central and South America offered help and condolences.

The epicentre of the shock was felt roughly 93 miles (150km) west of Port-au-Prince at around 8:30 am local time (1:30pm BST), the US Geological Survey said.

It was felt across the Caribbean, including Jamaica and Cuba, and comes just over a month since the nation's president, Jovenel Moïse, was murdered at his home in the capital.

The country is still recovering from the devastating 2010 earthquake - that registered 7.0 on the Richter scale - which is estimated to have killed more than 200,000 people.

And in the latest of Haiti's tragedies, the country is also one of the worst affected Caribbean nations from the coronavirus pandemic.

There have been more than 20,000 confirmed cases and 575 deaths in the country of 11 million but due to a lack of testing those numbers are thought to be much lower than the true figures.

It had only received its first vaccine shipment on July 14, which was donated by the US.

Jean-Wickens Merone, spokesman for World Vision Haiti, said: "We're concerned that this earthquake is just one more crisis on top of what the country is already facing - including the worsening political stalemate after the president's assassination, Covid and food insecurity."

The National Hurricane Centre has also forecast that Tropical Storm Grace will reach Haiti late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.