The mobilization of international organizations with aid has been immediate, such as the medical supplies of the Red Cross. | Photo: EFE
Port-au-Prince, August 15 (RHC)-- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) deployed a team of specialists in Haiti to and implement rapid health response actions to the 7.2 earthquake that has claimed 724 lives and more than 2,500 injured in the Caribbean country.
In addition, more than 2,800 people were injured in the earthquake registered on Saturday morning, informed the country's civil protection agency.
The 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated hundreds of homes in the impoverished country, which is still recovering from the great earthquake that affected it 11 years ago and has been without a head of state since the assassination of its president last month.
PAHO has already sent the first groups of emergency doctors specialized in disaster relief and supplies to mitigate the effects of the disaster, which has claimed 500 victims in the south, 122 in Nippes, 100 in Grand'Anse, and two in the northwest, according to the latest figures from Haitian health authorities.
PAHO Director Dr. Carissa F. Etienne said, "Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti on this truly sad day. Our team of experts is on the ground and ready to assist in all aspects of the health response," in conjunction with the Haitian Ministry of Health, United Nations agencies and other institutions that provided rapid response solidarity.
Etienne also expressed his concern regarding a possible worsening of the situation in Haiti, given the imminent impact on its territory of Tropical Storm Grace and the winds and heavy rains that accompany this type of meteorological phenomena.
According to Haitian Red Cross estimates, the earthquake caused severe damage to infrastructure, including hospitals, such as those in the towns of Jérémie and Les Cayes, in the southwestern part of the country, the most devastated.