5.9 quake strikes Haiti, shaking & damaging buildings - At least 12 dead (UPDATE)

RT
Sun, 07 Oct 2018 02:22 UTC

A powerful 5.9 earthquake off the coast of Haiti has damaged some structures, according to the country's Civil Protection. The USGS registered the quake some 19 km off Ti Port-de-Paix at a depth of 11.7 km.

There has been a report of at least one death, Frantz Duval, a journalist with the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste, said on Twitter. An auditorium has reportedly collapsed in the northern part of the country, while a local police station has also been damaged, forcing police to release detainees from custody as a precaution.

"An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 has just hit Haiti. According to the first reports of the civil Protection, damage is recorded in the great North. I stay informed of the situation and work with the bodies concerned for an appropriate response."

The quake also damaged the facade of a church in Plaisance and a house next door collapsed. President Jovenel Moïse urged the people to remain calm noting that "risk management system and the regional civil Protection directorates" have been activated to help the affected area.

Comment:

Update: Miami Herald reports:

At least 12 deaths have been confirmed following an earthquake in northwest Haiti, after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the island late Saturday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

At least five of the deaths were registered in the the Port-de-Paix area, Jerry Chandler, the head of the country's Civil Protection disaster response unit, told the Miami Herald.

"Search and rescue, and assessment still ongoing," said Chandler, who had teams activated throughout the northwest and in Gros Morne. In some areas, efforts were being stymied by rain, which had flooded streets.

Mondestin said his report indicates that 162 people suffered minor injuries in the northwest region and eight were seriously injured. He said help had arrived from Port-au-Prince including an ambulance, a surgeon, a nurse and medical supplies.

Tremors were felt throughout the country, triggering panic. At least two aftershocks were also registered, according to Civil Protection.

Last month after tremors were felt in Fort-Liberté, Cap-Haïtien and Grande Rivière du Nord, the director of the Bureau of Mines and Energy, Claude Prépetit, said in a press conference that northern Haiti, the west and Nippes regions, were most at risk for a major quake and warned Haitian authorities. A geological engineer whose office monitors seismic activity, Prépetit said Haiti's seismic detection system had recorded about 26 earthquakes between 2.9 and 4.6 on the Richter scale during the first eight months of this year.

"I urge the population to keep calm, following the passage of the earthquake whose epicenter is located in the northwest coast," Haitian President Jovenel Moïse posted on Twitter. "The Brigadiers @PwoteksyonSivil are already in action in the Nord'Ouest. They will be joined by other teams in the following hours to amplify the relief operations.."

Minutes after the quake, reports started trickling in about houses, a Catholic church and the main police station in Port-de-Paix being destroyed or damaged.

"Civil Protection teams are hard at work across the country and especially in the northwest, where two minor aftershocks have been felt," the office said in a release. It confirmed that no tsunami warning was issued in connection with the earthquake.