Haiti

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Haiti earthquake death toll 'may be 50,000'

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Au moins 100.000 personnes auraient péri dans le séisme en Haïti

WASHINGTON, Vendredi 15 Janvier 2010 -- Plus de 100.000 personnes auraient péri dans le séisme qui a ravagé mardi soir l'île de Haïti, a affirmé mercredi le Premier ministre haïtien Jean-Max Bellerive à la chaîne américaine CNN. "Il est difficile d'évaluer précisément le nombre de victimes. Combien de constructions, combien de bâtiments se sont effondrés. Avec les habitants à l'intérieur, je pense qu'on est bien au dessus de 100.000", a dit M. Bellerive. Un tremblement de terre de magnitude 7 sur l'échelle ouverte de Richter a secoué mardi soir Haïti non loin de Port-au-Prince, sa capitale surpeuplée, provoquant une "catastrophe majeure" dans le pays le plus pauvre des Amériques, selon les autorités locales.

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Muslim Aid’s immediate response to Haiti earthquake

Muslim Aid, a UK based international relief and development agency, has launched an emergency appeal to raise £250,000 to support the victim’s of a devastating earthquake in Haiti. It made an emergency allocation of £75,000 to provide much needed clean water, emergency shelters, medicines and food aid to the earthquake victims. Haiti’s worst earthquake for two centuries has wrecked much of the capital and left it in darkness. The earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck about 10 miles south-west of the capital Port-Au-Prince. Population data suggests that the 1 million people who live in the area are severely affected with millions more potentially affected. Muslim Aid is now assessing the situation on the ground with its partners who are already operational in Haiti and is urgently sourcing further information. Hamid Azad acting CEO of Muslim Aid expressed his concern remarking that “The earthquake is really devastating and especially unbearable for a country that has suffered so much deprivation. It is clear that the Haitian people will need a prompt emergency response from the international community to address their basic needs. We would like to send our deepest sympathy to the people of Haiti and urge our donors to come forward with generous donations to support the victims."

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Islamic Relief USA

Haiti Earthquake Emergency


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7,000 buried in mass graves after Haiti earthquake

January 15, 2010 -- Aid agencies are struggling to co-ordinate a huge relief effort as Haiti was left reeling from this week's devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince.‘We have already buried 7,000 in a mass grave,’ president Rene Preval Preval told reporters at the airport while accompanying Dominican Republic president Leonel Fernandez, the first foreign head of state to visit after the devastating earthquake. Mr Fernandez said one of the most important things Haiti needed was help in burying its dead. Elsewhere, the country’s devastated infrastructure and communications network caused difficulties in getting supplies to areas that most needed help. ‘It’s chaos, a logistical nightmare,’ said UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs. With eight Port-au-Prince hospitals severely damaged, it was nearly impossible to treat the thousands of injured, said the World Health Organisation. With virtually no sign of any Haitian government assistance, survivors searched for loved ones and dug through rubble with bare hands. The UN – which was helping to run the country even before the quake struck – has seen 22 staff killed, with a further 200 unaccounted for. Planes carrying teams from China, France, Spain and the US landed yesterday with tonnes of water, food, medicine and other supplies. Aid group Doctors Without Borders treated the wounded at two hospitals that withstood the quake – and set up tent clinics elsewhere. ‘I visited five medical centres, including a major hospital – and most of them were not functioning,’ said the charity’s Stefano Zannini. UK charities have launched a Haiti earthquake appeal under the umbrella of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). DEC chief executive Brendan Gormley said the earthquake, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, has "ripped apart the lives of millions of people in one of the poorest nations of the world." "It is clear after the immediate rescue attempt is completed we will be left with ongoing humanitarian challenges," he said. Tesco pledged £50,000 to the DEC appeal through the British Red Cross, which it has partnered for a decade. Donations can be made by calling 0370 60 60 900, through the website DEC or over the counter at any post office or high street bank, quoting Freepay 1449. Cheques payable to DEC Haiti Earthquake can also been sent to PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA.