Haiti earthquake leaves nearly 1,300 fatalities, 5,700 injured [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• CNN reported that Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti had almost 1,300 deaths and 5,700 injured citizens.
• Health workers were unable to provide health assistance due to destroyed roads.
• US President Joe Biden has vowed to provide relief assistance to Haiti.

According to CNN, Haiti’s earthquake has recorded 1,297 fatalities and over 5,700 injured people.

Speaking with the news outlet, the country’s civil protection agency said that the 1,054 death toll came from the country’s south region. About 119 deaths were recorded in the Grand’ Anse; 112 in the Nippes region; and the remaining two came from the northwest area.

The CNN reported that Saturday’s 7.2 earthquake disaster devastated over 27,000 homes. Given the road blockage, medical workers are having difficulty bringing medical treatment and supplies.

In a statement last Saturday, US President Joe Biden said that he was “saddened” by the tragedy, noting that Haiti is enduring a “challenging” time.

“In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning. Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover and rebuild,” Biden wrote on Twitter.

The president also said that the US would provide relief aid and assistance and that he has assigned USAID Administrator Samantha Power to take over and manage necessary measures.

In another news, Tennis star Naomi Osaka, born from Japan but with Haitian descent, pledged that the prize money she will get from this week’s tournament would be donated to the Haiti relief efforts.

The latest earthquake is now being compared to the 2010 earthquake that resulted in around 220,000 to 300,000 Haiti citizen deaths.

Source: The Hill