Thousands feared dead after major earthquake hits Haiti
A major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday morning, likely causing "high casualties" and widespread disaster, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, and sending shock waves across the Caribbean, where people fled their homes for fear they might collapse.
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck eight kilometres from the town of Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10 km, the USGS said.
That made the earthquake bigger and more shallow than the magnitude-7 earthquake that struck Haiti 11 years ago, killing an estimated 250,000 people, flattening buildings and leaving many homeless in what was already the poorest nation in the Americas.
This one â€" which occurred at about 8:30 a.m. local time â€" hit farther away from the capital, however. In Port-au-Prince, it was strongly felt but did not appear to have caused major damage, according to Reuters witnesses, meaning there will likely be fewer fatalities than the devastating 2010 disaster.
The USGS issued a "red" alert for the earthquake, which it says means "high casualties are probable and the disaster is likely widespread." According to the USGS, fatalities in red alert quakes are estimated to be in the thousands.
The PAGER for today’s EQ in Haiti is “redâ€, w/ high probability of causalities & infrastructure damage. PAGER stands for “Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response†& provides ESTIMATES of potential fatalities & economic losses. <a href="https://t.co/Pse5eQUFNM">pic.twitter.com/Pse5eQUFNM</a>
—@USGS_QuakesJerry Chandler, Haiti's director of civil protection, told The Associated Press that the death toll stood at 29 and that teams will be sent to the area for search and rescue missions.
"I present my sympathies to the parents of the victims of this violent earthquake that has caused the loss of several lives and material damage in various provinces," Prime Minister Ariel Henry said on Twitter, in the first official confirmation of fatalities.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement on Twitter on Saturday, saying Canada is "standing ready to provide assistance in any way we can."
The nearest big town was Les Cayes, with a population of about 126,000, where two residents told Reuters a major hotel and other buildings had collapsed. Locals said water had briefly flooded the coastal town, causing panic amid fear of a tsunami, but it then appeared to retreat. Haitian media outlets reported some people along the coast had already fled to the mountains.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami warning after the quake, lifting it shortly thereafter.
'This country just never finds a break'The earthquake comes as Haiti is already mired in intertwined political, humanitarian and security crises.
The government is in turmoil, a month after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, while swaths of the country are facing growing hunger, and health-care services are overwhelmed by COVID-19. Access to the southern region, where the quake struck, has been restricted by gang control of key areas.
That region had only recently recovered from Hurricane Matthew, which struck in 2016, killing hundreds and causing widespread devastation. Haiti is now in the cone of tropical storm Grace, which could bring heavy rains early next week.
People stand outside a residence that was damaged by an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, on Saturday. (Delot Jean/The Associated Press) "This country just never finds a break! Each year of mismanagement did not hurt, but the cumulative effects made us vulnerable to everything," Haitian entrepreneur Marc Alain Boucicault said on Twitter.
"Its going to take years to fix things, and we have not even started!"
In Port-au-Prince, residents traumatized by the 2010 quake rushed, screaming, into the streets and stayed there as the aftershocks rumbled on.
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck eight kilometres from the town of Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, about 150 km west of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, on Saturday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said. (CBC News) "In my neighbourhood, I heard people screaming. They were flying outside," said Port-au-Prince resident Sephora Pierre Louis, adding she was still in a state of shock. "At least they know to go outside. In 2010, they didn't know what to do. People are still outside in the street."
The quake was felt as far as Cuba and Jamaica, although there were no reports of material damage, deaths or injuries there.
"Everyone is really afraid. It's been years since such a big earthquake," said Daniel Ross, a resident in the eastern Cuban city of Guantanamo.
Canadians are thinking of everyone affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones, and those who have been injured - and we’re standing ready to provide assistance in any way we can.
—@JustinTrudeauHe said his home stood firm but the furniture shook.
"I feel it, man. It wake me up. My roof kind of make some noise," said Danny Bailey, 49, in Kingston.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre also reported a quake in the region, saying it was magnitude 7.6, while Cuba's seismological centre said it registered a magnitude of 7.4.
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