World

Haiti school collapse death toll rises to 93

by Yuliya Talmazan | November 10, 2008 at 09:39 am

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The number of people killed in a deadly school collapse in Petionville, Haiti has risen to 93 now. The search teams are still scouring the ruins for survivors but admit that the chances of finding anyone alive are slim. On Saturday, four children were found alive in the rubbles. Over 160 people were injured in the incident. Many people are still missing, so it is possible that the death toll will rise again. The school owner was detained by police for further questioning as was previously reported on NP. Once the officials make sure there are no survivors underneath the debris, they will dismantle the remains of the building and clear the site.

Rescuers found more victims Sunday beneath the rubble of a Haitian school that collapsed two days ago, driving the death toll to 93 as police questioned the school's pastor.

Lescouflair said earlier that at least 150 had been injured by the crush of cement and steel. The previous death toll had stood at 84.

Teams from the United Nations, the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Haitian police and rescuers from France, the US and Canada have been scouring the rubble around the clock since the school collapsed on Friday morning but the chance of finding more survivors looked increasingly remote.

Disaster experts, officials and rescue workers had held back from using heavy equipment at the site in Pétionville, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, out of fear that wobbly blocks of concrete and other debris might fall on any survivors under the rubble.

“Rescue workers and experts are making the last check to be certain there is nobody alive under the debris,” Nadia Lochard, a civil defense official, said Sunday. “We will recover all the bodies and destroy the building.”