Foreign aid flows in Haiti as death toll soars above 2,000

As per the US Geological Survey assessment projection, there could be more than 10,000 deaths, news agency AP reported.

Foreign aid started reaching parts of Haiti days after a deadly earthquake of 7.2 magnitude killed more than 2,000 people, injured thousands more and flattened hundreds of buildings. The United States on Thursday dispatched the warship USS Arlington to offer humanitarian assistance and the US Coast Guard was transporting the injured from Les Cayes to the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

The Church St Anne is seen completely destroyed by the earthquake in Chardonnieres, Haiti. (AFP)

The US government is also coordinating with the Haitian authorities to determine the final death toll and the extent of damage this earthquake caused. As per the US Geological Survey assessment projection, there could be more than 10,000 deaths, news agency AP reported.

France has also sent a ship with humanitarian cargo, a helicopter, and 25 soldiers, informed French armed forces minister Florence Parly.

On August 14, a strong temblor jolted the country still recovering from the devastating 2010 quake that killed over 200,000 and caused massive infrastructure damage, especially the medical healthcare system. According to a report, 60 per cent of Haiti's healthcare system was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.

The national civil protection agency said late on Wednesday 12,200 people were injured in the latest quake and almost 53,000 homes are completely destroyed. According to local reports, hospitals, schools, offices, and churches are also demolished or badly damaged.

Meanwhile, a month-long state of emergency in the four provinces that were most affected by the latest quake.

Why Haiti is so prone to earthquakes?

Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates in the Earth's crust move. Haiti sits near the intersection of two of them - the North American Plate and the Caribbean plate. The country is also densely populated and its building are not designed to withstand earthquakes, therefore the casualties after the disaster always rise sharply.

(With agency inputs)