At least 29 people were killed by the powerful earthquake that struck Haiti today, announced Jerry Chandrel, director of the country's civil protection agency.
Of this total, 17 deaths were recorded in the Grand-Anse department, 9 in the city of Cay, and 3 in the Nip region, where the epicenter of the earthquake is located, on the southwestern side of the island.
Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henri declared a one-month state of emergency in the country.
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake had its epicenter 8 kilometers from the town of Petit Trou de Nip, about 150 kilometers west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and had a focal depth of 10 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In a video they posted online, locals document the rubble of various buildings, including a church where a service was in progress this morning in the community of Les Angles.
The poorest country on the American continent still has vivid memories of the earthquake of January 12, 2010, which devastated the capital and other provincial cities. More than 200,000 people were killed and more than 300,000 were injured.
«Everyone has really been scared. It’s been years since we’ve had an earthquake this big,» said Daniel Ross, a resident of Guantanamo, Cuba, adding that his house remained intact, though the furniture was shaken.
Washington Offers Aid Following the Deadly Earthquake in Haiti
U.S. President Joe Biden offered the United States' assistance to Haiti following the deadly earthquake that struck the island today, the White House announced.
The U.S. president was briefed by his advisors on the earthquake in Haiti, where at least 29 people lost their lives and buildings were leveled, a White House official said.
The president “approved immediate U.S. aid and tasked the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, to coordinate this effort,” the same White House official, who asked not to be named, told reporters.
