A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti Saturday, killing over 1,200 people, according to The New York Times.
Rescuers and volunteers searched for survivors in collapsed buildings Sunday, The New York Times reported. By the end of the day, the death toll had risen to at least 1,297, according to The Associated Press.
BREAKING: The death toll from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti soared to at least 1,297, as rescuers raced to find survivors amid the rubble ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching tropical storm. https://t.co/mtt6rcMtsP
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 15, 2021
The earthquake flattened buildings, trapping people in the rubble in the western part of Haiti’s southern peninsula. The country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, did not experience any major damage, The New York Times reported.
A major supermarket and other smaller food suppliers collapsed in Les Cayes, leaving half a million Haitians with a lack of supplies, according to The New York Times.
Hospitals were also severely damaged. Officials believe there are about 30 doctors tending to one million people, The New York Times reported.
The scope of the damage and casualties is not yet fully known, but hospitals are overwhelmed, The New York Times reported. (RELATED: US Sends Investigators To Haiti To Help Find President’s Assassins)
The disaster hit as the country recovers from the unsolved assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, causing a lack of leadership. Haiti is also suffering from systemic gang violence, The New York Times reported.