A magnitude 7.2 earthquake has shaken the Caribbean nation of Haiti, killing at least 304 people and destroying hundreds of buildings, including homes, hotels, and schools.
According to the British news agency Reuters, the Haitian Civil Protection Services has said that according to the initial data, 304 people have been killed and more than 1800 have been injured as a result of the earthquake.
Details from the US Geological Survey stated that the epicenter was 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince at a depth of 10 km and a series of aftershocks followed.
The earthquake struck at 8:30 a.m. local time, which was also felt in the capital. It destroyed at least 949 houses, seven churches, two hotels, and three schools, and another 723 houses, a jail, three medical centers, and seven schools were damaged.
Haiti’s new prime minister, Ariel Henry, said in a Twitter message that the earthquake had caused “numerous deaths and severe damage” in various parts of the country.
He said that he would use all government resources to help the victims and appealed to the nation to show solidarity and unity.
The prime minister announced a month-long state of emergency in the country and said he would not appeal for international aid until the damage was determined.
He said that some places along the coast have been completely destroyed and the government is coming up with a plan to rehabilitate them.
Earlier, Haiti’s director of civil protection, Jerry Chandler, told the Associated Press (AP) that 29 people had been killed so far and that rescue teams would be sent to different areas to assess further damage.
According to a statement from the White House, US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the earthquake in Haiti on Saturday and assured Haiti of assistance and full cooperation.
Reports state that the US Geological Survey said that the earthquake was expected to cause widespread deaths and destruction.
The epicenter was reported at 7.6 magnitude, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center.
The U.S. Geological Survey also issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake, saying waves up to three meters high could rise, but later withdrew the warning.
The quake affected neighboring Caribbean countries as well.
“Countless houses have been destroyed, people have been killed and some are in hospital,” Cristella, who lives near the quake’s epicenter, told AFP.
He said that as soon as the quake hit, people took to the streets as buildings were destroyed on a large scale.
The quake comes a month after the country’s president, Juvenal Moises, was assassinated. The impoverished country faces economic challenges as well as the COVID-19 crisis.
It is to be noted that a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the country in 2018, killing more than a dozen people, and a devastating earthquake in 2010 killed 200,000 people.
The country’s infrastructure was badly damaged after the quake, which left millions homeless.
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