Haiti death toll rises to 724 after 7.2 magnitude earthquake

The death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti has climbed sharply, with at least 724 dead and a minimum of 2,800 injured.

The updated figures from Haiti’s office of civil protection follow a previous count of 304 dead. The office’s director, Jerry Chandler, said rescuers were continuing to search for possible survivors under the rubble.

People in the Caribbean nation rushed into the streets to seek safety and to help rescue those trapped in the rubble of collapsed homes, hotels and other structures.

Saturday’s earthquake struck the south-western part of the poor nation, almost razing some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts in two of the hardest-hit communities.

The disaster added to the plight of Haitians who were already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence.