HaitiNewsRegional Haiti: Many deaths feared after major 7.2-magnitude earthquake by Barbados Today 14/08/2021 written by Barbados Today Updated by Desmond Brown 14/08/2021 1 min read A+A- Reset Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 143 SOURCE: BBC – A major earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The 7.2-magnitude quake hit the west of the country, with its epicentre about 8km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Officials told reporters there had been fatalities. Images of damaged and collapsed buildings were shared on social media. Haiti is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake. The USGS said Saturday’s quake was recorded at a depth of about 10km. Its epicentre was some 150km from the densely populated capital of Port-au-Prince. “I can confirm that there are deaths, but I don’t yet have an exact toll,” Jerry Chandler, Haiti’s director of civil protection, told AFP news agency. “We’re still collecting information.” Images shared on social media showed homes and part of a church reduced to rubble. Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of the capital Port-au-Prince, told the Associated Press news agency she was woken up by the earthquake and that her bed was shaking. “I woke up and didn’t have time to put my shoes on. We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbour went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street,” she said. The 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the economy. Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like ICE Boxing Day breakfast party takes vibes to higher level 28/12/2024 US sanctions Syrian conglomerate for using Guyana’s flag 28/12/2024 Putin apologises over plane crash, without saying Russia at fault 28/12/2024
