In Massive Haiti Earthquake Death Count Jumps To Over 1,200

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• Aug 16, 2021 | moderator

At least 1,297 people were killed, in the 7.2-magnitude tremor that struck on Saturday, in Haiti about 100 miles to the west of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince. Crews dug through collapsed buildings for survivors.

The streets were filled, with sounds of heavy equipment lifting debris from collapsed buildings, as well as the people pulling away rubble by hand in desperate searches for the missing.

Around 13,600 buildings were destroyed, and over 13,700 were damaged, with more than 5,700 people injured and thousands were trapped under the rubble, said the Country's Civil Protection Agency.

The United States and other nations have pledged to help Haiti cope with this latest disaster. USAID head Samantha Power said that her agency had deployed 65 people for urban search and rescue team equipped with "specialized tools, equipment & medical supplies.” The Dominican Republic, a neighbor of Haiti said that it shipped 10,000 food rations and medical equipment. Many countries like Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Cuba, and Ecuador dispatched medical aids and rescue teams to Haiti.

"We want to plan a better-adapted response than in 2010 after the earthquake all aid coming from abroad should be coordinated, by the Civil Protection agency," said Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

A 7.0-magnitude quake in January 2010 killed more than 200,000 people who left Port-au-Prince and nearby cities in ruins. Around 1.5 million Haitians were made homeless in that disaster and destroyed 60% of Haiti's healthcare system.