World
304 killed, 1,800 injured as deadly earthquake slams Haiti
Port-au-Prince: At least 304 people were killed while 1,800 others sustained severe injuries after buildings tumbled into rubble following a deadly earthquake of magnitude 7.2 in southwestern Haiti.
As per details, the epicenter of the quake was about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Meanwhile, widespread damage was reported in the hemisphere’s poorest nations as a tropical storm also bore down.
Rescue workers and bystanders were able to pull many people to safety from the debris.
Reportedly, injured people were still being delivered to hospitals.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns were destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed with incoming wounded, fractured patients.
The Premier 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.
“Some towns were almost completely razed and the government had people in the coastal town of Les Cayes to help plan and coordinate the response,” he added.
“The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble,” said Henry.
He said the International Red Cross and hospitals in unaffected areas were helping to care for the injured, and appealed to Haitians for unity.