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Haiti hit by 7.0 Earthquake

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Haiti Earthquake Map
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
http://www.travelweekly.com/article3_ektid208890.aspx

(DiveTravelBusinessNews.com - January 13, 2010) -- Haiti was rocked by a devastating 7.0 earthquake Tuesday afternoon followed by a series of large aftershocks measuring more than 5.0 on the Richter scale.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and the one with the second-highest population density, is the least equipped to deal with  a catastrophe of this magnitude, according to reports from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

The first quake was preceded by smaller quakes in Puerto Rico that were felt as far east as San Juan. A tsunami watch for the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas was called off after several hours after the first quake struck.

The center of the quake was located about 10 miles southwest of Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince. According to published reports, the city’s main hospital collapsed as did hundreds of buildings, trapping thousands of people. Sections of the presidential palace and government buildings suffered extensive damage.

The control tower at the international airport in Port-au-Prince suffered "major damage" as well as the port and could hinder efforts to fly relief supplies into the country.

 

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