Haiti's death toll continues to rise
Port-au-Prince, August 23 (RHC)-- The death toll from the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti last week rose to 2,207, and 344 people are still missing, the Civil Protection Agency reported Sunday.
The agency said that 12,268 people were injured and nearly 53,000 homes were destroyed after the August 14th quake. The updated report of the lives claimed by the powerful earthquake comes as time is running out to find more survivors buried under the rubble, while the delivery of humanitarian aid has been hampered by the presence of armed gangs.
The Haitian government on Saturday vehemently condemned the attacks, as well as acts of looting, in the areas of Camp-Perrin, Duchity, Rivière Glace. Attacks were carried out against Food For the Poor trucks carrying humanitarian aid yesterday.
On Friday. there was also at least one attempted assault on another truck of the World Food Program (WFP) and on Saturday, desperate local residents continued to loot stores to get to food.
In this regard, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) called for a humanitarian corridor to respond to gang violence, while thousands of Haitians remain camped out in the open without receiving any assistance.
Blanca Carazo, head of Programs and Emergencies at UNICEF Spain, spoke with reporters about the difficulties Haiti is experiencing one week after the earthquake that devastated the island. She pointed to the control by gangs on certain roads, which hinders relief efforts.
"These gangs control some of the roads and do not allow or hinder the arrival of aid and the evacuation of the injured. We are calling for the creation of a humanitarian corridor to guarantee that access," she explained.
"We are concerned about the deteriorating security situation that may disrupt our assistance to vulnerable Haitians," said Pierre Honnorat, director of the UN World Food Program in Haiti.
Local media are reporting that the situation is particularly affected in southern Haiti, such as Saint-Louis du Sud, Les Cayes and Jéremie.
