High Casualties Expected In Haiti: Widespread Damage, Collapsed Buildings

High casualties probable and widespread disaster after M7.2 earthquake in Haiti; tsunami warning; people buried under buildings (videos and pictures)

Strange Sounds

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday morning.

Today’s devastating jolt was located less than 100 km to the West of the devastating M7.0 event in 2010.The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck five miles from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes in the western part of the country, about 80 miles west of Port-au-Prince. Seismologists said it had a depth of seven miles. It was felt as far away as Jamaica, 200 miles away.

A tsunami threat was issued for the region, the US Tsunami Warning System reported. Waves as high as 3 meters (about 10 feet) above the tide level are possible along some of the country’s coast.

“High casualties are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of fatalities, but pictures and video posted on social media showed collapsed structures in the aftermath of the quake.

The US Geological Survey said it’s likely that casualties are “high” after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck near Haiti Saturday morning.

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