Guwahati News Desk: The powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 that hit western Haiti on Saturday morning, ended up killing at least 304 people.
The earthquake razed several towns and triggered landslides that hampered the rescue efforts in the communities that were hit.
The earthquake not only added misery in Haiti by killing the 304 people, but further injured a minimum of 1,800 others and destroyed hundreds of homes.
The disaster further added to the plight of Haitians, who were already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and deepening poverty.
Moreover, aftershocks were felt throughout the day and late into the night, when many people now homeless or frightened by the possibility of their fractured homes collapsing on them, for which they stayed in the streets in order to get some sleep.
As per the reports, the epicenter of the quake was about 125 km (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry declared a one-month state of emergency for the whole country and said he would not ask for international help until the extent of the damages was known. Meanwhile, he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals were being overwhelmed with incoming patients.
Furthermore, it was the director of Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection, Jerry Chandler, who informed the media that the death toll stood at 304 on Saturday night.
Chandler also informed that a partial count of structural damage included at least 860 destroyed homes and more than 700 damaged. Infact, hospitals, schools, offices and churches were also severely affected.
Meanwhile, the US President Joe Biden informed that USAID will be helping to assess the damage and to assist in the rebuilding of homes, and he called the United States a “close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti.”
Photo | Reuters
