LES CAYES : The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti climbed to 1,297 on Sunday, a day after the powerful temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off franctic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching tropical storm. A former senator rented a private airplane to move injured people from Les Cayes to Port-au-Prince for medical assistance. “We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people." U.S. President Joe Biden authorized an immediate response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power to oversee the U.S effort to help Haiti. AP writers Mark Stevenson in Les Cayes, Haiti; Trenton Daniel in New York; Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

Source: Mint August 15, 2021 23:37 UTC