According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a massive earthquake of 7.2 magnitudes struck Haiti Saturday morning. This raises fears of similar destruction to the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country.
According to Haiti’s civil protection service, at least 304 people have died, and more than 1,800 were injured. According to the USGS, the death toll could rise into the thousands.
Paul Caruso, the USGS geophysicist, told NPR that it looks terrible. There could be many casualties. Caruso started Saturday’s earthquake was comparable to the 2010 quake due to its similar magnitude and the fact that it occurred along the same faultline.
A 7.0-magnitude quake hit Haiti on Jan. 12thJan. 12th 2010, Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. It left 220,000 people dead, 1.5 million displaced, and approximately 300,000 others injured.
Ariel Henry, Haiti’s new prime minister, expressed his sympathy in a translation tweet to the parents of victims of the earthquake that caused many losses in human and material life in various geographical areas of the country.
Henry declared a state emergency for one month to assess the effects of the disaster and then send teams to the affected area for rescue and search operations.
A White House official stated that President Biden authorized an immediate U.S. response. Samantha Power, the U.S. AID administrator, was named to coordinate the effort.
According to the USGS, the epicentre of the earthquake measured 12 kilometres (or 7.5 miles) northeast of Saint-Louis-du-Sud. It was also 10 kilometres deep. According to the survey, it struck five miles away from Petit-Trou-de-Nippes in the country’s western portion.
The USGS placed the earthquake under its “red alert” category.
The disaster is likely to cause widespread damage and high casualties. Past red alerts have required a national or international response,” the USGS said.
Reference: npr
