“On behalf of the Filipino nation, President Rodrigo Duterte extends his honest condolences to the federal government and to the folks of Haiti for the tragedy and devastation brought on by the sturdy earthquake that struck Haiti,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque mentioned in a Palace press briefing.
Citing the Division of International Affairs, Roque mentioned there have been no Filipinos affected by the quake that claimed the lives of 1,297 folks.
Earlier, Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez of the DFA Workplace of Public and Cultural Diplomacy mentioned the company was monitoring the scenario in Haiti.
Thus far, there are an estimated 470 Filipinos in Haiti.
Reviews confirmed the earthquake, adopted by aftershocks, struck eight kilometers from the city of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10 km.
Some 13,600 buildings had been destroyed and over 13,7000 broken, trapping tons of below rubble and leaving greater than 5,700 injured.
The sturdy quake exacerbated the problem of battling the COVID-19 pandemic as Haiti’s hospitals had been swamped by 1000’s of injured residents.
This occurred as Haiti was recovering from essentially the most devastating temblor that killed roughly 250,000 folks 11 years in the past and reeling from the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse final July 7.
In the meantime, crews desperately dug by means of collapsed buildings for survivors within the Caribbean nation nonetheless reeling from its president’s assassination.
In Les Cayes, as in different hard-hit cities on the southwestern peninsula, many of the inhabitants spent the night time sleeping outdoor in entrance of their homes — or what remained of them — amid fears of recent aftershocks.
The streets there have been crammed with the grinding of heavy gear lifting particles from collapsed buildings, in addition to the quieter sounds of individuals pulling away rubble by hand whereas looking for the lacking.
“Because of God and likewise to my cellphone, I’m alive,” mentioned Marcel Francois, who was rescued from his collapsed two-story dwelling in Les Cayes.
His youthful brother Job Francois mentioned a desperate-sounding Marcel had known as to say, “’Come save me, I’m below the concrete’… He informed me he couldn’t breathe, that he was dying.”
The neighbors and Job spent hours liberating him and his 10-year-old daughter from the heavy particles.
In the meantime, the US and different nations have pledged to assist Haiti deal with this newest catastrophe.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke with Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Sunday and mentioned the US was “already placing sources in place” to bolster the nation’s emergency response, spokesman Ned Value mentioned in an announcement.
USAID head Samantha Energy tweeted Sunday that her company had deployed a 65-person city search and rescue staff — outfitted with “specialised instruments, gear & medical provides”— to hitch an earthquake catastrophe response staff already in Haiti.
US Southern Command mentioned it established a joint navy activity drive for Haiti on Sunday and deployed a staff to the nation to evaluate impacted areas with aerial surveillance. 4 helicopters had been additionally dispatched to supply airlift assist.
Haiti’s neighbor the Dominican Republic mentioned it was delivery 10,000 meals rations and medical gear. Mexico additionally despatched an assist cargo.
Cuba and Ecuador dispatched medical or search-and-rescue groups.
Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela additionally supplied assist, as did the United Nations.
“We wish to plan a greater tailored response than in 2010 after the earthquake — all assist coming from overseas must be coordinated by the Civil Safety company,” mentioned Henry. A 7.0-magnitude quake in January 2010 left a lot of Port-au-Prince and close by cities in ruins, killing greater than 200,000.
Greater than 1.5 million Haitians had been made homeless in that catastrophe, which additionally destroyed 60 % of Haiti’s healthcare system, leaving authorities and the worldwide humanitarian group with a colossal problem.
The newest quake comes simply over a month after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his dwelling by a staff of gunmen, shaking a rustic already battling poverty, spiraling gang violence, and COVID-19. With AFP
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