Photo taken on Aug. 16, 2021 shows a child after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti. (Photo by Tcharly Coutin/Xinhua)
The 7.2-magnitude quake that struck southwest Haiti on Saturday has so far claimed 1,941 lives, injuring more than 9,900 people, the Caribbean island's Civil Protection Agency reported on Tuesday, adding that rescue operations were underway in the hardest-hit areas.
LES CAYES, Haiti, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- In a corner of the Immaculate Conception Hospital in Les Cayes, Haiti, Larnette Noel remains in shock, breathing heavily and staring with blank eyes at the body of her 26-year-old daughter Lonia Bernard, who died in the recent devastating earthquake.
Noel was at home when the earthquake struck and managed to get out quickly. But her daughter did not.
Underneath a white sheet, the young woman's body rests on a wooden plank on the floor, her mother waiting desperately for help with the burial.
Noel is among thousands of Haitians left devastated by the earthquake and its fallout.
The 7.2-magnitude quake that struck southwest Haiti on Saturday has so far claimed 1,941 lives, injuring more than 9,900 people, the Caribbean island's Civil Protection Agency reported on Tuesday, adding that rescue operations were underway in the hardest-hit areas.
The earthquake was one of the strongest to ever hit the country, which not only led to numerous deaths and injuries, but also destroyed more than 84,000 homes and buildings, leading to the collapse of the island's hospital network.
About a dozen doctors from the capital city of Port-au-Prince headed towards hospitals in Les Cayes to volunteer, but were soon directed to another hard-hit area, leaving hospitals overwhelmed with desperate patients.
Protective measures such as social distancing, face masks or antiseptic gel for hands at the entrances are in short supply, raising the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
On the streets of downtown Les Cayes, the situation is just as bleak and chaotic.
At a hotel leveled by the quake, dozens of men watched as heavy machinery removed chunks of broken concrete, hoping to find some useful construction material, especially steel rods, to sell or to use for their own houses.
Far from the downtown area, life has become even tougher as drinking water runs scarce. Cistern trucks supplying potable water are encircled by people in a desperate fight to fill their buckets and carry them back home on foot.
The difficulties seem endless as a tropical storm gives little respite to the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
The situation in the region has been further complicated by Tropical Storm Grace, which threatened to dump more than 25 cm of rainfall over the areas hardest hit by the earthquake, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides.
Each neighborhood is plagued by a different set of problems, but residents all share the urgent need for the world to hear their cries for help.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday pledged the world body's support for Haiti in the aftermath of the massive earthquake.
"I have a message to the people of Haiti: You are not alone. We will stand by your side and support you every step of the way out of this crisis," Guterres said in a statement. ■
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