The death toll from the major earthquake that hit Haiti surged to close to 2,000 as the search for survivors resumed after Tropical Storm Grace hit overnight.
- Nearly 10,000 people have been injured, and many are still missing after the the 7.2-magnitude tremor. Hospitals struggled to tend to all those injured, with many people still missing or under the rubble.
- Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude quake left some 6,900 people injured, and the toll is expected to rise. In the city of Les Cayes and the town of Jérémie, two of the most badly hit by the quake, roads were further damaged due to aftershocks and mudslides.
- Rescue work has been hampered by heavy rains brought this week by Tropical Storm Grace to the Caribbean nation.
- The UN says about 500,000 children now have limited or no access to shelter, safe water and food.
- “Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding,” said Bruno Maes, the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative in the country.
- According to Haitian authorities, with about 37,312 houses destroyed by the quake, and many of those still unexcavated, the death toll is expected to rise.
- Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is in power until fresh presidential election can be held, has declared a month-long state of emergency and urged the population to “show solidarity”.
Haiti has been hit by a series of natural disasters over the past years, including Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The deadliest was the 2010 earthquake which killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure and economy.
