Posted on 17 August 2021
Death toll from Haiti earthquake now over 1,200
The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti climbed to 1,297 on Sunday, a day after the powerful temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off frantic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching storm.
Saturday’s earthquake also left at least 5,700 people injured in the Caribbean nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes.
Meanwhile, Tropical Depression Grace drenched earthquake-damaged Haiti yesterday, threatening to dump up to 15 inches of rain on a landscape where people are huddling in fields and searching for survivors.
The UN has stated that a "humanitarian corridor" through Haiti's gang-infested areas should be established so aid can flow to the southern regions. The United Nations and the Haitian government have struggled to send medical supplies and doctors by road to the town of Les Cayes, which bore the brunt of the damage, due to security concerns. Instead, they have been using boats and air transport.