Haiti is shaken by an earthquake. The authorities fear death. There is a tsunami warning.
Port-au-Prince – An earthquake shook the south of the Caribbean state of Haiti. The US agency USGS gave the strength as 7.2. Haiti authorities issued a tsunami warning. According to official information, the quake occurred around 12 kilometers from the municipality of Saint-Louis-du-Sud at a depth of around ten kilometers.
In the Dominican Republic, with which Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola, the quake could also be felt and panic among the population, reports the Diario Libre newspaper. A resident of the eastern Cuban city of Guantanamo told Reuters: “Everyone is very scared. It’s been years since such a large earthquake occurred. ”In the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, the population also noticed the severe earthquake, including on the island of Jamaica.
Earthquake hits Haiti: magnitude 7.2 measured
The earthquake occurred at 8.29 a.m. local time. The authorities warned of dangerous tsunami waves up to three meters high. Videos from the city of Jeremie, 125 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince show destroyed houses, schools, churches and vehicles. The town of Les Cayes is also badly affected. The aid organization Unicef speaks of “great damage”. At least two people were killed. This is a preliminary figure from the authorities. Rescue workers speak of a practically blocked communication with the affected areas.
Video from Les Cayes pic.twitter.com/BzbJISLeF2
— EMSC (@LastQuake) August 14, 2021
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti * in 2010 killed more than 200,000 people. About 300,000 people were injured and more than 1.5 million were left homeless. The damage from the quake was estimated at $ 8 billion. Reconstruction got off to a slow start, also due to the political instability.
The poorest country in the western hemisphere is currently in a deep crisis and is being shaken by unrest. Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July. He was ambushed and shot dead by a heavily armed commando at his residence. (lrg / dpa / afp) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
