At least 1,297 people have died in a strong earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday morning, the nation’s civil protection agency said in an updated statement on Twitter on Sunday.
The agency posted a statistical breakdown of the fatalities, saying 1,054 deaths are registered in the Sud (department), 119 in the Grand’Anse (department), 122 in the Nippes (department) and 2 in the Nord-Ouest (department).
National Highway 7, which connects the southern cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie, has been blocked by the landslide, said the country’s Civil Protection Directorate.
The injuries also doubled to more than 5,700, according to the civil protection agency, which reported earlier Sunday that 724 deaths and over 2,800 injuries have been recorded from the earthquake.
“An operation is being carried out to restore traffic circulation,” said the agency, praising efforts by rescue teams and residents to pull a large number of people from the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry went to the department of Grand’Anse to see the damage and said that his government has mobilized resources to help victims.
