PORT-AU-PRINCE: A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck parts of western Haiti on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of at least three people and leaving over two dozen others injured, according to civil protection authorities.
The quake occurred in the remote Grand’Anse department, located approximately 300 kilometers (185 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, as reported by the US Geological Survey.
Christine Monquele, the head of Civil Protection in Grand’Anse, confirmed the fatalities, stating that the victims were members of the same family who lost their lives when their house collapsed. In addition to the three deaths, authorities have reported 28 injuries, and search and rescue efforts are ongoing to locate any other potential casualties.
Storms in Haiti
This earthquake follows a recent period of heavy storms that ravaged Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, resulting in the deaths of at least 42 people and leaving 11 others missing, according to the Civil Protection services. The tremor struck shortly after 5:00 am local time (0900 GMT) off the coast of the southwestern peninsula, an area prone to destructive earthquakes.
Haiti has a tragic history with devastating seismic events. In 2010, a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake claimed the lives of over 200,000 people, reducing the capital city of Port-au-Prince to ruins and displacing 1.5 million individuals. Then, in August 2021, the southwest peninsula experienced an even stronger 7.2 magnitude quake, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,200 people and the destruction of 130,000 homes.
