4.9 magnitude earthquake strikes southern Haiti; four dead, dozens injured
The Hindu
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck southern Haiti early Tuesday, killing at least four people and injuring 36 others, authorities said.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck southern Haiti early Tuesday, killing at least four people and injuring 36 others, authorities said.
The quake struck before dawn near the southwestern coastal city of Jeremie at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“I thought the whole house was going to fall on top of me,” Eric Mpitabakana, a World Food Program official in Jeremie, told AP by phone.
Two homes collapsed in the quake, and a key route that connects Jeremie and Les Cayes was blocked, according to Haiti's Civil Protection Agency.
Three of the people who died were found under a collapsed house where rescuers were searching for more people, Frankel Maginaire, with Haiti's Civil Protection Agency in Jeremie told the AP.
He said that several children were hospitalised with injuries they received after they panicked and ran.
A crowd of people gathered around one home that collapsed as they tried to search for survivors in the rubble.