USA: U.N. Secretary General offers support to Haiti in wake of major earthquake, gives update on U.N. staff missing in disaster

Record ID: 560472

  • Title: USA: U.N. Secretary General offers support to Haiti in wake of major earthquake, gives update on U.N. staff missing in disaster
  • Date: 14th January 2010
  • Summary: UNITED NATIONS (JANUARY 13, 2009) (REUTERS) WIDE OF BAN AT PODIUM
  • Embargoed: 29th January 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVA1JNJB6WI2OL6R9W0ZFJNNAB81
  • Story Text: U.N.'s Secretary General offers aid to Haiti after disastrous earthquake and confirms that U.N. headquarters in Port-au-Prince collapsed, trapping many staffers.
    Several bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of the U.N. headquarters in Haiti which collapsed in Tuesday's earthquake, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday, putting the number of dead found there so far at "less than five."
    The official, Alain Le Roy, told reporters that fewer than ten people, "some dead, some alive," had been extracted from the rubble but more than 100 remained unaccounted for.
    Earlier, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the missing included the chief of the U.N. mission in Haiti, Hedi Annabi, but he could not confirm reports that he had died. Annabi, a Tunisian, was meeting a visiting Chinese delegation at the time, he added without elaborating.
    "Mr. Annabi was having a consultation with the visiting Chinese delegation, unfortunately as of now, we are not able to have any confirmation about the safety of Mr. Annabi. We will do our best efforts. Again, the deputy special representative is also unaccounted for, together with many of our staff," Ban said.
    Before speaking, the Secretary-General Ban offered his condolences to those impacted in both English and French.
    The U.N. mission, known as MINUSTAH, was headquartered in the former Christopher Hotel in the capital Port-au-Prince, where administrative staff worked. Most of MINUSTAH's 9,000 troops and police were located elsewhere.
    Ban said he would send Le Roy's deputy, Edmond Mulet, to Haiti, possibly as early as Friday, and that an emergency response team would also head there as soon as possible. Le Roy said he understood Port-au-Prince airport was functioning.
    The U.N. chief also said $10 million (USD) would be released immediately from the world body's central emergency response fund to assist aid efforts.
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