5.9 quake strikes Haiti, shaking & damaging buildings
A powerful 5.9 earthquake off the coast of Haiti has damaged some structures, according to the count..
A powerful 5.9 earthquake off the coast of Haiti has damaged some structures, according to the countrys 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.
Un séisme de magnitude 5.8 vient de frapper Haiti. Selon les premiers rapports de la Protection civile, des dégats sont enregistrés dans le Grand Nord. Je reste informé de la situation et travaille avec les instances concernées pour une réponse appropriée.
— Président Jovenel Moïse (@moisejovenel) October 7, 2018
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.
"Our teams from north to south are witnessing a state of panic in some cities," the Civil Protection agency reportedly said, noting that there have been reports of injuries.
A 7.0 earthquake in January 2010, with an epicenter just west of Port-au-Prince, killed over 220,000 people and left some 300,000 injured. Overall, around five million people were displaced by the quake when it struck the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
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