Photo: USGS
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck western Haiti, causing widespread damage on Saturday (August 14). The epicenter of the quake was 7.5 miles northeast of Saint-Louis du Sud. A tsunami warning was issued following the shallow quake, but it has since expired.
The United States Geological Survey said that "high casualties are probable, and the disaster is likely widespread." The area is continuing to deal with aftershocks, with the largest measuring at a 5.2 magnitude. The USGS said that the aftershocks will cause "violent" shaking.
Haitian officials said that at least 304 people have died and at least 1,800 have been injured. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry tweeted his condolences to the people who have lost their lives.
"I extend my sympathies to the parents of the victims of this violent earthquake which caused several losses in human and material lives in several geographical departments of the country," Henry tweeted in Spanish.
"We will make the necessary arrangements to assist people affected by the earthquake in the Southern Peninsula. We must show a lot of solidarity with regard to the emergency. The government will declare an emergency. We will act quickly," he added in a second tweet.
Photos on social media captured the extent of the damage.
The quake was felt in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, which is about 100 miles to the northeast.
“I woke up and didn’t have time to put my shoes on," Naomi Verneus, 34, who lives in Port-au-Prince, said, according to NBC News. "We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbor went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street."
Verneus was referring to the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the capital in 2010. It caused massive destruction killed an estimated 300,000 people.