Days after deadly earthquake, fresh tremors strike city in Haiti

More than 12,000 people were injured when an earthquake jolted the south-western region of the country on Saturday (August 14), about 160 kilometres to the west of the capital city Port-au-Prince.

Haitian city of Les Cayes was shaken by tremors late on Wednesday, news agency Reuters reported. This comes a few days after a devastating earthquake killed almost 2,189 people across the Caribbean nation, according to its civil protection agency.

People are seen outside their home after tremors shook buildings, following Saturday's earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti on August 18, 2021. (Reuters photo)

There were no immediate reports of deaths or damage in the region by Wednesday's quake.

More than 12,000 people were injured when an earthquake jolted the south-western region of the country on Saturday (August 14), about 160 kilometres to the west of the capital city Port-au-Prince.

The civil protection agency also said that rescue and relief operations are continuing and 332 people have been reported as missing. Saturday’s earthquake of 7.2 magnitude led to the destruction of tens of thousands of buildings and also triggered landslides. Haiti is still continuing to recover from the effects of the earthquake back in 2010 which killed more than 200,000 people.

The Les Cayes General Hospital in the Les Cayes city, which is already overwhelmed by regular patients, is also witnessing a large number of injured quake victims being admitted. Several patients had to lie in patios, corridors, verandas and hallways of the hospital due to lack of space. The city has also been battered by continuous rainfall.

There is a growing impatience among the quake survivors in Haiti with regard to the sluggish arrival of relief material to the severely affected areas. Reuters reported on Wednesday that dozens of people went to the Les Cayes airport demanding food as a helicopter with supplies arrived there. Police had to intervene to allow a truck carrying the relief aid to leave. There have also been growing concerns for remote places outside Les Cayes, where access roads are damaged, hampering the delivery of such relief material.

Pierre Cenel, a judge in Les Cayes, hit out at the government over its non-preparedness to deal with the calamity. “As a judge, I must not have a political opinion. But as a man, as a man concerned about the situation of my country, nothing is working. They didn’t do anything to prepare for this disaster,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters on Wednesday.

Jerry Chandler, the head of the civil protection agency, said that aid was yet to reach many areas, adding officials were working hard to ensure its delivery. Acknowledging the frustration of the people, Chandler urged them to not block convoys so that the agency could do its job. There were at least 600,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance and 135,000 families displaced, he added.

(With agency inputs)