HAITI EARTHQUAKE

On Jan 12th 2010 the earthquake struck Haiti. The powerful tremor shook buildings, bringing terror to the city again.

As many as 200,000 people have so far died.

There are cracks from the first earthquake which run through the tiny village where the US Navy and Marines are setting up relief efforts for the earthquake victims.

Residents of the city had dreaded a major aftershock and many have been sleeping out side to prevent being hit by falling debris from another quake.

US Geological Survey said: “The preliminary 6.1 magnitude quake hit at about 6.00am local time, about 35 miles north-west of Port-au-Prince”. The quake is meant to have struck at a depth of 6.2 miles.

At first there were no immediate reports of casualties, but crashing could be heard, suggesting that buildings hit in the first quake had collapsed.

There have also been some aftershocks over the past week, but luckily rescuers have found at least 120 survivors who managed to escape the earthquakes deadly clutches.

Losana, 25 was discovered in the wreckage of a supermarket late Tuesday only hours after Anna Zizi age 70 started to sing whilst being carried away from the ruins of Port-au-Prince cathedral. Also in the city of Jacmel a three week old baby girl was dug out of the rubble.

Looters

There is now fears of growing violence. Because of the shortages of food, water and medical supplies, bands of machete-wielding earthquake survivors roam through the ruins of Port-au-Prince looting what they can find.

On top of this, the security situation worsened when the collapse of Port-au-Prince's main prison left 4,000 convicts free to escape.

Aftershock

Today (20th Jan) a strong aftershock has rocked Haiti, sending people screaming people running into the streets. This is just eight days after another quake hit the country.

The extent of the damage is not yet known. The magnitude of this quake is 6.1 struck west of Port-au-Prince at 0603 local time (1103 GMT).

Earthquake Blog

There is a Haiti Blog available at: guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/jan/18/haiti earthquake-updates-live-blog to give to continuous news on this terrible disaster.

Donate

• Donations to the DEC Haiti appeal can be made by calling 0370 60 60 900, through the website at: dec.org.uk or over the counter at any post office or high street bank, quoting Freepay 1449.

• Cheques payable to DEC Haiti Earthquake can also been sent to PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA.