Haiti hospitals overwhelmed by quake victims; nearly 1,300 dead
PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti's hospitals were swamped on Sunday by thousands of injured residents after a devastating earthquake the day before killed at least 1,297 people, as the authorities raced to bring doctors to the worst-hit areas before a major storm hits.
The 7.2 magnitude quake on Saturday destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in the Caribbean nation.
South-western Haiti bore the brunt of the blow, especially in and around the town of Les Cayes.
Haiti's Civil Protection Agency said the death toll had climbed and the hospitals that were still functioning were struggling to cope as some 5,700 people were injured.
In the north-western city of Jeremie, another badly hit area, doctors treated injured patients on hospital stretchers underneath trees and on mattresses by the side of the road, as healthcare centres ran out of space.
"We do have a serious issue," head of Haiti's Civil Protection Agency Jerry Chandler said.
The rescue and aid efforts from various countries including the United States will be complicated by Tropical Depression Grace, a storm expected to lash Haiti with heavy rainfall.
Some 75ml to 100ml of rainfall is expected, which may trigger landslides and cause some rivers to flood, Haiti's Civil Protection Agency said. - REUTERS
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