| PORT-AU-PRINCE - A major earthquake hit impoverished Haiti on Tuesday, toppling buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince, burying residents in rubble and causing many deaths and injuries. The magnitude 7.0 quake, whose epicentre was inland and only 16 kilometres from the capital Port-au-Prince, sent panic-stricken people screaming into the streets of the city, as a cloud of dust and smoke from falling buildings rose into the sky. As darkness fell amid scenes of chaos and anguished cries from victims, residents desperately tried to dig out survivors or searched for missing relatives in debris-strewn streets. A hospital collapsed from the quake, The Associated Press reported. Also, damage was done to an airport and the presidential palace, and a hotel collapsed, Haitian radio reported. Other government buildings, including the parliament building, and a cathedral in the capital, have also been damaged, according to Agence France-Presse, citing Haitian TV. There are an estimated 6,000 Canadians living in Haiti, including 700 registered with embassy. The U.N. also reported that its headquarters suffered serious damage in the quake, and that many of its staff were affected. "For the moment, a large number of personnel remain unaccounted for," the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain le Roy said in a statement issued in New York. Some 9,000 U.N. police and troops are stationed there to maintain order. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has a history of destructive natural disasters, including being lashed by four hurricanes in a single season in 2008. The major quake, followed by several aftershocks, prompted a tsunami watch for parts the Caribbean but this was later canceled....... http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/01/12/12439091.html http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/01/13/12446666.html Haiti earthquake: Journalist in six-hour dash across island to rescue wife trapped under rubble. A reporter has told of his desperate dash across earthquake-struck Haiti to rescue his wife from under a collapsed building. American journalist Frank Thorp was six hours away from the capital of Port-au-Prince when he got a 'terrifying' ten-second phone call from his wife Jillian to say she was trapped under their concrete home in the city. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1242912/Haiti-earthquake-disaster-Journalist-Frank-Thorp-rushes-Haiti-rescue-wife-trapped-rubble.html#ixzz0cVo5W0xt http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1242912/Haiti-earthquake-disaster-Journalist-Frank-Thorp-rushes-Haiti-rescue-wife-trapped-rubble.html Aid offer after Haiti earthquake (UKPA) - 2 hours ago The Government has offered emergency aid and put teams of relief workers on standby to travel to earthquake-hit Haiti. Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin said 20 million euro of Irish aid money was donated last year to the United Nations' disaster response and more would be provided if needed. Up to 130 members of the country's specialist rapid response corps were on hand to fly out to the Caribbean if needed, he said. |