Environment

Haiti Death Toll: Thought to Be 'Hundreds of Thousands' (Video)

by Jordan Yerman | January 13, 2010 at 08:04 am

3007 views | 91 Recommendations | 6 comments

The Haiti earthquake death toll remains unknown, though the death toll is estimated to be thousands. So far, hundreds of UN staff are missing, and the communication is slow and clumsy as the affected area is without power. Haiti's Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive estimates the Haiti death toll to be in the hundreds of thousands. Medical efforts are hindered due to infrastructure damage, and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) says that almost every medical center they've seen is not functioning.

Haitian President René Préval said that "an evaluation" is still underway:

”Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed,’’ he told the newspaper. ”There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them.’’

Also see:

3 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

snuffysmith

at 14:37 on January 13th, 2010

Untold Numbers Still Trapped in Rubble of Worst Quake in Haitian History
ICRC says 7.0 earthquake in Haiti leaves close to third of population in need of emergency aid

snuffysmith

at 15:17 on January 13th, 2010

Now for the really bad news:

This is from UN Dispatch from Mark Leon Goldberg:

On a conference call with Medicines sans Frontiere moments ago, a representative in Haiti said that all of the hospitals to which it would normally refer patients have either collapsed or are otherwise unusable. All MSF can do at the moment is administer first aid. There are no "referral" options for secondary care beyond first aid, but MSF is exploring options to deploy a "floating hospital" to Haiti.

Here's what CNN is reporting:

Haiti prime minister tells CNN he believes well over 100,000 have died in earthquake.
Catholic Relief Services staff member Karel Zelenka provided this account via e-mail. "Damage incredible all around ... Some major buildings are gone -- the hotel Montana, the National Palace etc... People have been screaming and chanting all over the place ... It is a disaster of the century, we should be prepared for thousands and thousands of dead and injured."
More than 100 employees of U.N. mission unaccounted for.
None of three aid centers run by Doctors without Borders in Haiti is operable, the group says.

snuffysmith

at 20:10 on January 13th, 2010

Red Cross: 3 Million Affected

Tomitheos Linardos

at 22:32 on January 13th, 2010

I have experienced a 6.9 richter scale earthquake and it is shocking how just a few more points can make such a devastating difference. No doubt the structures were not prepared for this. Jordan, please keep us updated on this event.

snuffysmith

at 05:58 on January 14th, 2010

Clinton: Too soon to estimate casualties in Haiti AP WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday the United States and the world must do everything possible to help Haiti surmount its "cycle of hope and despair.