Death toll from Haiti quake hits 724 as tropic storm looms

The quake flattened hundreds of homes and buildings in a Caribbean nation which is still clawing its way back from another major temblor here 11 years ago and reeling from the assassination of its president last month.

Southwestern Haiti bore the brunt of the blow, especially in the region in and around the city of Les Cayes. Jerry Chandler, head of Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency, said the toll from the disaster had climbed to 724 as the rescue work continued.

Churches, hotels, hospitals and schools were badly damaged or destroyed, while the walls of a prison were rent open by the violent shudders that convulsed Haiti.

“We need to show a lot of solidarity with the emergency,” said Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon who was thrust to the forefront of the troubled country after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7.

The rescue efforts are set to be made more complicated by the arrival of Tropical Storm Grace, which is set to lash Haiti with heavy rainfall on Monday. Some parts of Haiti are also at risk of flash floods, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.