Most of Haiti’s capital was destroyed in a powerful earthquake that struck just miles away from the city, killing an unknown
number of people and creating a small tsunami that struck the coastline of the
Dominican Republic, officials and witnesses said. Reports of catastrophic damage in Haiti are coming in, but there are no reports of damage from the Dominican Republic.The earthquake happened around 4.53 p.m. local time and had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0, according to the United States Geological Survey, making it the strongest earthquake ever recorded within 200 kilometers. It struck about 10 miles southwest of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake is described as “major” and can cause serious damage over larger areas, especially in poor regions with poor construction of buildings. Because the earthquake had a depth of only 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), there is a greater chance of severe damage.
Nearly 10 minutes later, at 5.01 p.m. local time, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck about 30 miles away from the epicenter of the first tremor. A spokeswoman for the United States Geological Survey said a second aftershock struck minutes later, at 5.12 p.m. local time, and had a preliminary magnitude of 5.5.
In Turkey the General Directorate of Security said on Wednesday that 52 Turkish policemen assigned in United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) were reported to be in good condition in the wake of the major earthquake that hit Haiti. Directorate of Security issued a statement and said they tried to establish communication with the Turkish policemen after the earthquake and could only get information about their condition on Wednesday morning.
A group of experts in disaster response, health in emergency and logistics will arrive in Haiti later today to support the Haitian Red Cross in the relief efforts and to begin to coordinate international assistance from members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as well as other organizations.In addition, a Red Cross team will lead a damage assessment together with the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Union.
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