MEXICO: Haitian President Rene Preval says earthquake death toll could reach 300,000
Record ID:
304030
MEXICO: Haitian President Rene Preval says earthquake death toll could reach 300,000
- Title: MEXICO: Haitian President Rene Preval says earthquake death toll could reach 300,000
- Date: 22nd February 2010
- Summary: PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO (FEBRUARY 21, 2010) (REUTERS) (** BEWARE OF FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ** ) LOGO OF SUMMIT MEXICAN PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON GREETING CARIBBEAN PRESIDENTS / POSING WITH THEM FOR PHOTO PRESIDENTS AFTER PHOTO SESSION PHOTOGRAPHERS PRESIDENTS SITTING DOWN GENERAL VIEW OF MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON, SAYING: "The tough droughts a lot of Caribbean countries have lived through in recent months. Unparalleled rain with flooding, which President Preval told us about, are affecting and complicating Haiti's rescue missions in the region. The direct threat to many flooded countries along the Caribbean coastline are real, tangible and immediate challenges for us." MORE OF MEETING (French) HAITIAN PRESIDENT RENE PREVAL, SAYING: "You have seen the images, you know the figures. More than 200,000 bodies were collected on the streets. Counting those still found under the rubble, the death toll could rise to 300,000, more than 250,000 destroyed or damaged homes, more than 1.5 million people are suddenly homeless." ATTENDEES APPLAUDING MILITARY VEHICLE
- Embargoed: 9th March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Mexico
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: International Relations,Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVA4UYYNGR8QQ13EY7N44QEX6HDW
- Story Text: Haitian President Rene Preval tells a meeting of Latin American and Caribbean leaders, death toll in Haiti could jump to 300,000.
The death toll from last month's devastating earthquake in Haiti could jump to 300,000 people, including the bodies buried under collapsed buildings in the capital, Haitian President Rene Preval said on Sunday (February 21) during a meeting with Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Mexico.
Preval's plea for aid will be at the top of the agenda at the regional summit being held near the Mexican resort town of Playa del Carmen.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said aiding Caribbean nations dealing with drought and flooding would be a top priority.
"The tough droughts a lot of Caribbean countries have lived through in recent months. Unparalleled rain with flooding, which President Preval told us about, are affecting and complicating Haiti's rescue missions in the region. The direct threat to many flooded countries along the Caribbean coastline are real, tangible and immediate challenges for us," Calderon told the meeting.
Preval said the first rainy days that had started falling in Port-au-Prince had worsened living conditions and therefore he had requested shelters.
The death toll could reach 300,000, he said.
"You have seen the images, you know the figures. More than 200,000 bodies were collected on the streets. Counting those still found under the rubble, the death toll could rise to 300,000, more than 250,000 destroyed or damaged homes, more than 1.5 million people are suddenly homeless."
That would make Haiti's earthquake one of the most lethal natural disasters in modern history, more than the 200,000 people killed in the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
The cost of rebuilding the impoverished country after the 7.0-magnitude quake could be as high as $14 billion, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.
Aid workers worry that squalid conditions in the camps, many which have no latrines or source of clean water, could lead to disease outbreaks when the rainy season begins in earnest in March.
Looking ahead to a meeting with international donors to determine the overall shape of rebuilding plans, Preval suggested Haiti should decentralize away from Port-au-Prince, which suffered the heaviest damages.
He also encouraged Latin American countries to step up investments in industry to help Haiti free itself from dependence on international aid. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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