Haiti earthquake: Death toll soars as desperate search for survivors continues

The death toll in the Haiti earthquake is rising as the full extent of the horrific damage becomes clear. WARNING: Graphic

Hundreds of people were killed and thousands more injured in the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince. Picture: AFP.

The death toll from Haiti’s powerful earthquake has risen to over 1300, as crews desperately dug through collapsed buildings for survivors in the Caribbean nation still reeling from its president’s assassination.

In Les Cayes, as in other hard-hit cities on the southwestern peninsula, most of the population spent the night sleeping outdoors in front of their houses -- or what remained of them -- amid fears of new aftershocks.

The streets there were filled with the grinding of heavy equipment lifting debris from collapsed buildings, as well as the quieter sounds of people pulling away rubble by hand while searching for the missing.

“Thanks to God and also to my phone, I’m alive,” said Marcel Francois, who was rescued from his collapsed two-story home in Les Cayes.

His younger brother Job Francois said a desperate-sounding Marcel had called to say, “’Come save me, I’m under the concrete’... He told me he couldn’t breathe, that he was dying.” The neighbors and Job spent hours freeing him and his 10-year-old daughter from the heavy debris.

This satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of St Louis Cathedral on August 15, 2021 in Jeremie, Haiti after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the southwest peninsula of the country

The body of a woman is seen under the rubble in the neighbourhood of Dexia 6, Les Cayes. Picture: AFP

A building is shown destroyed by the 7.2-magnitude earthquak in Les Cayes, that has killed at least 1,200. Picture: Getty Images

At least 1,297 people were killed in the 7.2-magnitude quake that struck Saturday about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the west of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince, which was devastated in a massive 2010 quake.

Some 13,600 buildings were destroyed and more than 13,700 damaged, trapping hundreds under rubble and leaving more than 5,700 people injured, the country’s civil protection agency said in an update.

Rescuers faced new pressure with Tropical Depression Grace approaching, raising fears of torrential rainfall, flash floods and mudslides from late Monday, according to the US National Weather Service.

The United States and other nations have pledged to help Haiti cope with this latest disaster.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke with Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Sunday and said the United States was “already putting resources in place” to bolster the country’s emergency response, spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

Patients are tended to outside Les Cayes General Hospital. Picture: Getty Images

USAID head Samantha Power tweeted Sunday that her agency had deployed a 65-person urban search and rescue team -- equipped with “specialized tools, equipment & medical supplies” -- to join an earthquake disaster response team already in Haiti.

Hundreds of people were killed and thousands more injured in the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince. Picture: AFP.

Thousands of people have been left homeless by the destructive quake. Picture: Getty

US Southern Command said it established a joint military task force for Haiti on Sunday and deployed a team to the country to assess impacted areas with aerial surveillance. Four helicopters were also dispatched to provide airlift support.

Haiti’s neighbor the Dominican Republic said it was shipping 10,000 food rations and medical equipment. Mexico also sent an aid shipment. Cuba and Ecuador dispatched medical or search-and-rescue teams.

Chile, Argentina, Peru and Venezuela also offered help, as did the United Nations.

The "Petit Pas" hotel is seen damaged by the earthquake. Picture: AFP

“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 Henry.

A 7.0-magnitude quake in January 2010 left much of Port-au-Prince and nearby cities in ruins, killing more than 200,000.

More than 1.5 million Haitians were made homeless in that disaster, which also destroyed 60 percent of Haiti’s healthcare system, leaving authorities and the international humanitarian community with a colossal challenge.

The parish where the sisters of Our Lady Fatima of the Cayes reside, is seen collapsed after the earthquake hit. Picture: AFP

A Haitian woman cries as she passes a destroyed house in Les Cayes. Picture: AFP

Rescuers face new pressure as Tropical Storm Grace approaches, raising fears of torrential rainfall and flash floods from late Monday, according to the US National Weather Service.

The United States and other nations have pledged to help Haiti cope with this latest disaster.

USAID head Samantha Power tweeted Sunday that her agency had deployed a 65-person urban search and rescue team — equipped with “specialised tools, equipment & medical supplies” — to join an earthquake disaster response team already in Haiti.

People look for survivors amongst the rubble in the neighbourhood of Dexia 6, Les Cayes. Picture: AFP

Haiti’s neighbour the Dominican Republic said it was shipping 10,000 food rations and medical equipment. Cuba and Ecuador dispatched medical or search-and-rescue teams.

And Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Venezuela also offered help, as did the United Nations.

“We want to plan a better adapted response than in 2010 after the earthquake — all aid coming from abroad should be co-ordinated by the Civil Protection agency,” said Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Injured patients rest at a hospital in Les Cayes. Picture: AFP

A 7.0-magnitude quake in January 2010 left much of Port-au-Prince and nearby cities in ruins, killing more than 200,000.

More than 1.5 million Haitians were made homeless in that disaster, which also destroyed 60 per cent of Haiti’s healthcare system, leaving island authorities and the international humanitarian community with a colossal challenge.

The latest quake comes just over a month after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home by a team of gunmen, shaking a country already battling poverty, spiralling gang violence and Covid-19.

Police say they have arrested 44 people in connection with the killing.