An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Haiti this Saturday morning (14), with its epicenter northwest of the island of Hispaniola, 160 km from Port-au-Prince, the capital from the country. The earthquake was recorded at 8:29 am local (9:29 am EDT). Ten minutes later, there was a 5.2 magnitude aftershock.
According to Haiti’s Civil Protection to CNN, there are deaths, although there is no official death toll. On social media, videos recorded by residents showed collapsed apartment buildings and people running through the rubble and screaming.
The main damage is said to have occurred in the towns of Jérémie and Los Cayos. There are images of religious buildings, houses and schools allegedly affected.
A 5.2 aftershock occurred 10 minutes after the main tremor.
The United States National Ocean and Atmosphere Administration has issued a tsunami alert off the coast of Haiti.
“I woke up and didn’t have time to put my shoes on. We went through the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run, my bed was shaking. Everyone was yelling at us to get out. on the street, “Naomi Verneus, 34, told Reuters news agency.
The earthquake comes at a time of political instability and economic crisis in the country. On July 7, then President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated by a group of mercenaries.
11 years ago, a 7 degree earthquake caused terrible destruction in the country. There have been over 200,000 dead, 300,000 injured and 1.5 million homeless.