Death toll from massive Haiti earthquake soars past 700
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The death toll from Haiti’s massive earthquake has more than doubled to 724, authorities said Sunday, as government officials sought aid from U.S. first responders. Tropical Storm Grace bore down on the ravaged country with heavy rains forecast for Monday, threatening to further complicate relief efforts.
As Haitians used crude tools to dig through collapsed homes and buildings, USAID prepared to deploy a 59-member search and rescue team on Sunday from Fairfax County, Virginia. The United Nations warned that relief operations were confronting “restrictions” due to the presence of violent gangs “hindering the capacity of humanitarian actors to operate normally and reach affected populations.
“We want [U.S. first responders] to help,” said Haitian Ambassador to the United States Bocchit Edmond, who said he had also requested a search-and-rescue team from Miami-Dade County. “We have news that in some parts of the country there are probably people under rubble, and we want to give them a chance.”
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti at 8:29 a.m. Saturday. It was stronger, though centered farther from the capital, than the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 220,000 people. Officials and witnesses said the southern and western areas of the country sustained devastating damage.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/death-toll-from-massive-haiti-earthquake-soars-past-700/ar-AANlqxm
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