The President of Haiti, Rene Preval, said today that thousands of people are feared dead following a huge earthquake which has devastated the country's capital. At the same time, Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said that he believed more than 500,000 people had died. The Red Cross says up to 3 million people are affected. Officials say that Port-Au-Prince has been mostly destroyed, while heavy damage has also been reported in the towns of Jacmel and Carrefour, The 7.0-magnitude quake, Haiti's worst in over 200 years, struck 15 miles SW of the captial, Port-au-Prince, yesterday afternoon at 4:53pm. The quake was quickly followed by 2 aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. In all, well over a dozen aftershocks have been recorded.
The UN has said that dozens of peacekeepers are listed as missing, while the Catholic Church said its Archbishop was among the dead. Many countries with Embassies in the country report missing staff. With communications destroyed by the earthquake, it is not yet possible to confirm the extent of the destruction, although there were reports today of many bodies piled in the streets. Thousands are believed to be trapped under the rubble of fallen structures, with 1 officials saying that 1 in 5 buildings in the country was destroyed. The Presidential Palace, pictured as a before and after picture at the top of this posting, was among the structures destroyed. A number of nations, including the US, UK, Cuba, Spain and Venezuela, are gearing up to send aid. US President Barack Obama vowed "unwavering support" for Haiti after what he called a "cruel and incomprehensible" disaster. He said he had ordered "a swift, co-ordinated and aggressive effort to save lives" and that the first US rescue teams would arrive later today. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has suffered a number of recent disasters, including 4 hurricanes and storms in 2008 that killed hundreds.
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