Death toll may reach 500,000: Haitian minister

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Death toll may reach 500,000: Haitian minister

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13 January,2010 11:39 pm

Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital Wednesday after a powerful earthquake crushed thousands of structures, from schools and shacks to the National Palace and the UN peacekeeping headquarters. Untold numbers were still trapped. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told that thousands of buildings had collapsed in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and said he believed the casualties would be in the range of thousands of dead. He added he could give no clear official estimate. Soon after, however, Bellerive told that I believe we are well over 100,000 dead, while Haitian Sen. Youri Latortue said it could be 500,000. Both admit they have no way of knowing. Other officials said it was too early to give a precise accounting of the toll. Aid workers reported widespread destruction and suffering. International Red Cross spokesman Paul Conneally said an estimated 3 million people may have been affected by the quake and that it would take a day or two for a clear picture of the damage to emerge. Aftershocks rattled the city of 2 million people as women covered in dust clawed out of debris, wailing. Stunned people wandered the streets holding hands. Thousands gathered in public squares singing hymns. People pulled bodies from collapsed homes, covering them with sheets by the side of the road. Passers-by lifted the sheets to see if a loved one was underneath. Outside a crumbled building the bodies of five children and three adults lay in a pile. The United States and other nations began organizing aid efforts, alerting search teams and gathering supplies that will be badly needed in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. The international Red Cross and other aid groups announced plans for major relief operations.