Search for survivors continues after Haiti earthquake

LES CAYES, Haiti — Rescuers and scrap metallic scavengers dug into the floors of a collapsed edifice Monday successful this quake-ravaged coastal town, wherever 15 bodies had already been extracted. Jean Moise Fortunè, whose brother, the edifice owner, was killed successful the quake, believed determination were 2 oregon 3 radical trapped successful the rubble.

But based connected the size of voids that workers cautiously peered into, possibly a ft (0.3 meters) successful depth, uncovering survivors appeared unlikely.

The quake, centered astir 125 kilometers (80 miles) westbound of the superior of Port-au-Prince, astir razed immoderate towns and triggered landslides that hampered rescue efforts successful a state that is the poorest successful the Western Hemisphere. Haiti already was struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, pack violence, worsening poorness and the governmental uncertainty pursuing the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

And the devastation could soon worsen with the coming of Tropical Depression Grace, which was predicted to scope Haiti connected Monday night. The country’s Civil Protection Agency said beardown winds, dense rain, unsmooth seas, mudslides and flash flooding were expected. Rainfall amounts could scope 15 inches (38 centimeters) successful immoderate areas.

While residents of Les Cayes carted distant twisted heaps of scrap metallic to gain immoderate money, Dukens Sylvain was a trying to observe signs of life.

“Those radical are risking their lives for a spot of scrap,” the 37-year-old said of locals burrowing into the immense rubble pile. “I’m conscionable disquieted astir people’s lives.”

At a shot field, families who mislaid their homes tried to erect a spot of shadiness with sheets and sticks, radical gathered to person nutrient being distributed disconnected a truck.

The civilian extortion bureau said 1,297 dormant from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake had been counted by Sunday, a time aft the temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and acceptable disconnected frantic rescue efforts up of a imaginable deluge from an approaching tropical storm.

Saturday’s earthquake besides near astatine slightest 5,700 radical injured, with thousands much displaced from destroyed oregon damaged homes. After sundown Sunday, Les Cayes was darkened by intermittent blackouts, and galore radical slept outside, clutching tiny transistor radios tuned to news, terrified of the continuing aftershocks.

Meanwhile efforts continued to get aesculapian attraction to the injured.

Under Haiti’s burning heat, Jennie Auguste had a vacant look arsenic she laic Sunday connected a flimsy foam mattress dispersed retired connected an airdrome tarmac. Auguste suffered injuries to her chest, abdomen and limb erstwhile the extortion of the store wherever she worked collapsed during Saturday’s quake.

She flashed the occasional grimace of symptom portion her sister oregon different adjuvant bystanders fanned her. With hospitals overwhelmed successful Les Cayes, Auguste could lone hold — for a infirmary furniture to unfastened up, oregon a spot to go disposable connected 1 of the tiny planes ferrying the injured to Haiti’s capital.

“There has been nothing. No help, thing from the government,” Auguste’s sister, Bertrande, said arsenic the decease toll continued to grow.

Officials said much than 7,000 homes were destroyed and astir 5,000 damaged from the quake, leaving immoderate 30,000 families homeless. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches besides were destroyed oregon severely damaged.

In a country wide repeated crossed the quake zone, radical lined up to bargain what small was available: bananas, avocados and h2o astatine a thoroughfare market. Workers tore done rubble of collapsed buildings with dense machinery, shovels and picks.

Underlining the dire conditions, section officials had to negociate with gangs successful the seaside territory of Martissant to let 2 humanitarian convoys a time to walk done the area, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported. The bureau called Haiti’s confederate peninsula a “hot spot for gang-related violence,” wherever humanitarian workers person been repeatedly attacked.

The bureau said the country has been “virtually unreachable” implicit the past 2 months due to the fact that of roadworthy blocks and information concerns. Agency spokeswoman Anna Jefferys said the archetypal convoy passed done Sunday with authorities and U.N. personnel. She added that the U.N.’s World Food Program plans to nonstop successful nutrient supplies via trucks Tuesday.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry has declared a one-month authorities of exigency for the full state and said that archetypal authorities assistance convoys had started moving assistance to areas wherever towns were destroyed and hospitals were overwhelmed.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said humanitarian needs were acute, with galore Haitians urgently needing wellness care, cleanable h2o and shelter. Children separated from their parents besides needed protection, she said.

Referring to the 2010 earthquake that ravaged Haiti’s capital, sidesplitting tens of thousands, Fore said: “Little much than a decennary on, Haiti is reeling erstwhile again. And this catastrophe coincides with governmental instability, rising pack violence, alarmingly precocious rates of malnutrition among children, and the COVID-19 pandemic — for which Haiti has received conscionable 500,000 vaccine doses, contempt requiring acold more.”

The state of 11 cardinal radical received its archetypal batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines lone past period via a United Nations programme for low-income countries.

Medical workers from crossed the portion were scrambling to assistance arsenic hospitals successful Les Cayes started moving retired of abstraction to execute surgeries.

“Basically, they request everything,” said Dr. Inobert Pierre, a pediatrician with the nonprofit Health Equity International, which oversees St. Boniface Hospital, astir 2 hours from Les Cayes.

“Many of the patients person unfastened wounds and they person been exposed to not-so-clean elements,” added Pierre, who visited 2 hospitals successful Les Cayes — 1 with immoderate 200 patients, the different with astir 90. “We expect a batch of infections.”

Pierre’s aesculapian squad was taking immoderate patients to St. Boniface to acquisition surgery, but with conscionable 2 ambulances, they could transport lone 4 astatine a time.

Small planes from a backstage steadfast and the Florida-based missionary work Agape Flights landed astatine the Port-Au-Prince airdrome Sunday carrying astir a half-dozen injured from the Les Cayes area. Young men with bandages and a pistillate were hoisted connected stretchers to waiting Haitian Red Cross ambulances.

Working with USAID, the U.S. Coast Guard said a chopper was transporting aesculapian unit from the Haitian superior to the quake portion and evacuating injured backmost to Port-au-Prince. Lt. Commander Jason Nieman, a spokesman, said different craft and ships were being sent.

Associated Press writers Collin Binkley successful Boston, Trenton Daniel successful New York and Regina Garcia Cano successful Mexico City contributed to this report.