At least two people were killed and homes were damaged after a pair of earthquakes struck Haiti Monday morning. The tremors struck the southern Peninsula of the country.
The main quake struck at 8:16 a.m. local time and was given a preliminary rating of 5.3, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The largest aftershock came about an hour later and was rated 5.1. Residents reportedly ran into the streets as the shaking began, and schools were closed for the rest of the day as a precaution, according to the Associated Press.
One of the victims died in a landslide at a salt mine, Yves Bossé, an elected official for the southern department of Nippes, told the AP. He added that many businesses closed for the day following the temblors. One person died in Fond des Negres and a second in Anse-a-Veau, where 35 homes were destroyed, Haiti’s civil protection authority said in a tweet, adding that a road and a bridge had also been destroyed.
Children ran out of school buildings in Les Cayes and “people were terrified,” even though there was no damage, according to one resident. In August, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake destroyed tens of thousands of homes, left families sleeping outside in torrential rains, and forced Prime Minister Ariel Henry to suspend elections that had been scheduled for November. Haiti’s struggling economy and gang-driven security problems have fuelled a wave of migration, with many traveling in rickety boats in hopes of reaching the United States.
