Sun 15 August 2021:
The death toll of the devastating earthquake in Haiti has more than doubled since the last estimate, reaching 724, media reported Sunday, citing the country’s civil protection agency.
More than 2,800 people in total have been affected by the disaster.
“The death toll from the earthquake …has risen to 724: 500 in the south, 100 in the Grand’Anse department, 122 in the Nippes department and two in the Nord-Ouest department,” the statement said as quoted by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Earlier in the day, the agency said the number of people who had died in the earthquake was estimated at 304, while 1,800 others were injured.
Ariel Henry, the country’s prime minister, said on Saturday that local hospitals, particularly in the city of Les Cayes, were “overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people”.
President Joe Biden announced on Saturday that his administration would authorize “an immediate US response” and named USAID director Samantha Power, the former US ambassador to the UN, to lead the effort. Other nations have offered aid as well, including Mexico whose president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said Sunday that federal assistance was on the way.
Haiti is also facing the threat of a tropical storm bringing heavy rains and strong winds just days after a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
There are fears that Tropical Storm Grace, which is projected to hit the island between Monday and Tuesday, could hamper rescue efforts.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Haiti on Saturday. A number of countries have already expressed their readiness to provide Haiti with humanitarian aid.
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