At least 304 people killed in Haiti earthquake

HAITI: A 7.2-magnitude quake that struck southwestern Haiti has killed at least 304 people with hundreds injured, Haitian authorities have said.

A major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday reducing churches, schools, hotels, and homes to rubble in the tragedy to hit the impoverished Caribbean nation, according to Reuters.

The quake, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, struck about 8 km from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes — about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, the United States Geological Survey said.

That made the temblor which was felt as far away as Cuba and Jamaica potentially bigger and shallower than the magnitude 7 earthquake 11 years ago that killed tens of thousands on the island, according to Reuters.

This one – which occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time – hit farther away from the capital, however. In Port-au-Prince, it was strongly felt but did not appear to have caused major damage, according to Reuters witnesses.

Haiti’s Civil Protection service said the preliminary death toll stood at 304, with at least 1,800 injured and more people unaccounted for. Preliminary rescue operations by emergency teams and ordinary citizens had enabled many people to already be recovered from the debris.

(With inputs from Reuters)