At least 304 people have died following a catastrophic earthquake in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. At least 1,800 more people have been injured. Rescue teams are now working tirelessly to save those that may have been trapped in debris.
The earthquake was said to be of a 7.2 magnitude and resulted in buildings collapsing and significant damage being inflicted on infrastructure.
The main impact of the earthquake was in the town of Saint-Louis du Sud, but it was also felt in the nation's capital Port-au-Prince, 125km away.
Haiti's Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, released a statement, saying:
"The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble. We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people."
The United States has promised aid and support to Haiti. US President Joe Biden has said:
"In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake."
One witness told Associated Press news says she was woken in the night by the earthquake, the 34-year-old said:
"I woke up and didn't have time to put my shoes on. We lived [through] 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."
In 2010 a massive earthquake struck Haiti reducing much of the nation to rubble. 200,000 people died ,making it one of the worst earthquakes in modern history. The destruction of infrastructure and sanitation resulted in more deaths from diseases such as cholera.
The international community was strongly criticised for its response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake with many saying much more should have been done to assist the people of Haiti.
Eleven years on, much of the country still lies in ruins, and almost 70% of the population live below the poverty line in what is the Caribbean's poorest nation.
[h/t: BBC]
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