At least 1,297 people were killed and thousands more injured after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday morning. Officials ...
At least 1,297 people were killed and thousands more injured after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday morning.
Officials with Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection provided the updated death toll Sunday as rescue workers continued to search for possible survivors in the rubble of collapsed structures. The quake's epicenter was about 125 kilometers, or 78 miles, west of Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, according to the US Geological Survey.
The disaster was the latest crisis to hit the Caribbean island nation, which is still reeling from the assassination of its president, the coronavirus pandemic, and a wave of gang violence. Saturday's temblor came as the country's vaccination campaign was just getting underway.
"In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy."
People carry an injured person in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 14.
People look for survivors at a house destroyed in the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 14.
Oxiliene Morency cries out in grief after the body of her 7-year-old-daughter was recovered from the rubble of their home Aug. 14.
Locals begin to wake up after sleeping outside following the quake in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 15.
People walk through the rubble of damaged buildings in Jeremie, Haiti, on Aug. 14.
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People collect water after sleeping in the streets in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 15.
Firefighters search for survivors inside a collapsed building in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 15.
A woman carries her child through the remains of her home in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 15.
People search through the rubble of what was the Manguier Hotel in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 14.
Earthquake victims arrive at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Aug. 14.
People gather outside the Petit Pas Hotel in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Aug. 14.