Over 1,200 dead as earthquake rocks Haiti

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the Caribbean nation of Haiti on Saturday, claiming the lives of 1,297 residents. (Reuters)

The powerful tremor turned thousands of structures into rubble, injuring over 5,000 residents and displacing them from their damaged homes. (AP)

People spent the Saturday night outdoors in a grassy area that is part of a hospital in the badly-hit city of Les Cayes. (AP)

The epicentre of the earthquake was about 125 kilometers west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, a US Geological Survey said, while aftershocks continued to jolt the area Sunday. (AP)

With the hospitals already burdened by the Covid-19 pandemic, the residents of Les Cayes are awaiting evacuation to the capital city in hopes of care for the injured. (Reuters)

The US Coast guard has pitched in to help evacuate the injured to safety. The US has also sent vital supplies and deployed a 65-person urban search-and-rescue team with specialized equipment. (Reuters)

However, the rescue efforts could get dampened by the arrival of Tropical Storm Grace, which is set to bring heavy rainfall to Haiti. Some parts of Haiti are also at risk of flash floods, the US National Hurricane Center has said. (Reuters)

The quake comes five weeks after the assassination of Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, as it reels under the coronavirus pandemic, poverty and violence. (AP)