Strong quake rocks Haiti, government buildings collapse
January 13, 2010 10:24 am
SANTO DOMINGO, Jan. 13 — A strong earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing government buildings and a cathedral in its capital city.
The quake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, was the strongest ever recorded in the island country, reports from the country said.
So far, there are no confirmed casualties but local media reported incidents of people buried under collapsed buildings.
The collapsed buildings included the presidential palace and several ministerial offices in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital.
The earthquake, which struck at 4:53 p.m. (2153 GMT), was quickly followed by a tsunami and two aftershocks measuring 5.9 and 5.5 respectively, according to reports.
The epicenter was located at 15 km southwest to Port-au-Prince and was eight km from the earth's surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Haiti was last hit by a strong earthquake measuring 6.7 on Richter scale in 1984.
The Dominican Republic, which shares the Espanola Island with Haiti, has called upon the international community to provide urgent humanitarian aid to Haiti.
U.S. President Barack Obama has said his country is ready to help. (PNA/Xinhua)
FFC/ebp
[...] becoming the de facto occupying authority in Haiti. Haitian government control, tenuous at best, has now collapsed, and it’s hard to imagine another [...]
[...] becoming the de facto occupying authority in Haiti. Haitian government control, tenuous at best, has now collapsed, and it’s hard to imagine another [...]
[...] becoming the de facto occupying authority in Haiti. Haitian government control, tenuous at best, has now collapsed, and it’s hard to imagine another [...]