Source & Credit: Al-Jazeera - ABC News, Australia - Google
By Ahmadiyya Times staff
At 2153 GMT on Tuesday, the Caribbean nation of Haiti was hit by its strongest earthquake in more than 200 years, causing what is being described as "a catastrophe of major proportions".
Heavy casualties were suffered after the most of the Capital's buildings were levelled by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake.
According to Al-Jazeera Network, the World Food Program reported via Twitter, that land lines in Haiti have been "heavily damaged" and mobile phone networks were reportedly working, but with very limited capacity.
Eight Chinese peace-keepers were buried in rubble and 10 others were missing after the massive earthquake, China's state-run media reported Wednesday.
Kevin McCue, the president of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, told Al Jazeera from Melbourne that "This is a major earthquake. The rupture length is probably in the order of 50 to 70km."
"We are very concerned because there are many people unaccounted for in the UN peacekeeping mission building, Hotel Christopher," said Elisabeth Byrs, the spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, while speaking to Al Jazeera from Geneva in Switzerland.
American Red Cross senior director for International Disaster Response, Nan Buzard, says it will be some hours before the true extent of the damage is known.
"This is going to be a catastrophic disaster. We don't have any facts or figures yet," she said.
"Tomorrow as dawn breaks you're going to see a lot more coverage. We're going to have helicopters out there and there'll be a lot more information coming in.
"But right now it's dark, electricity is out, phones are out, it's chaos and confusion, panic, fear and grief on the ground."
Humanity First, a worldwide humanitarian services organization announced plans for mobilization of their volunteers.
"Seeing the media coverage of the shocking devastation and destruction caused by the earthquake in Haiti is absolutely heartbreaking," said Mr. Munum Naeem, Executive Director of Humanity First USA.
"We pray for the safety and welfare of all those affected by this catastrophe; and are moving swiftly to get our human and material assets in place to provide the urgent assistance needed on the island. Those who wish to help can volunteer and/or make donations with us by visiting www.humanityfirst.org."
Country facts:
The Caribbean nation of nine million is the poorest country in the Americas with an annual per-capita income of $560. It ranks 146th out of 177 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index
More than half the population lives on less than $1 a day and 78 per cent on less than $2. There is a high infant mortality rate and the prevalence of HIV among those between ages 15 and 49 is 2.2 per cent
Haiti's infrastructure is close to total collapse and severe deforestation has left only two per cent of forest cover
About 9,000 UN police and troops are stationed in the country to maintain order.
- Ahmadiyya Times staff writers.
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