An earthquake in the Caribbean country Haiti killed at least 304 people and destroyed many residences on Saturday. The magnitude of quake recorded 7.2 and happened about 160km away from the capital city Port-au-Prince. 1,800 people have suffered injuries following the quake started about 8.30am local time.
The actual number of causalities is not clear and the officials said that 160 people were killed in Haiti’s southern department, 42 in Nipples and 100 in Grand Anse. Further two deaths were confirmed in the northwestern region of the country. Seven aftershocks were there as per the reports.
Meanwhile the authorities said that many lives were saved from the wreckage of buildings. The public also assisted professional rescue teams to help survivors. Many of the injured are treated in hospitals.
The Prime Minister of Haiti Mr Ariel Henry has declared a state of emergency all over the country for one month. He also emphasized that the government would do whatever necessary for the ones affected by the quake. Medical professionals had been appointed to different areas, he added.
Earlier in 2010, Haiti witnessed an earthquake with a catastrophic magnitude of 7.1 which killed almost 316,000 people in the capital and surroundings. Again in 2018, a 5.9 magnitude quake struck the country and killed over a dozen of its people.