The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported an earthquake that struck at 8:30 AM on August 14, shaking Haiti and prompting a tsunami warning.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located approximately 150 km west of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, according to the Guardian.
The tremors were felt throughout the Caribbean region, including Cuba and Jamaica, occurring just a month after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse at his residence in Port-au-Prince.
According to the USGS, the epicenter was at a depth of about 10 km beneath the Caribbean Sea.
Local authorities reported that they issued a tsunami warning following the earthquake. Reuters noted that initial damage reports indicated several buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged on an island near the epicenter.
Social media images of the earthquake in Haiti on August 14. Photo: Reuters.
Social media posts indicated that many people in Haiti were killed or injured. Officials confirmed this information but have not yet released casualty figures.
Images and various video clips showed streets in the towns of Jérémie and Les Cayes in Haiti turned into rubble, with homes and vehicles severely damaged. One photo depicted the complete collapse of the spire of the 19th-century St. Louis King of France Cathedral.
Many residents in the capital, Port-au-Prince, also evacuated their homes as they felt the ground shake. Twenty minutes later, a 5.2 magnitude aftershock was recorded in the same area, according to USGS data.
Eleven years ago, in January 2010, an earthquake nearly flattened the entire capital of Port-au-Prince, with an estimated 200,000 people killed and about 1.5 million displaced as a result of that disaster.
This 7.0 magnitude earthquake lasted only 55 seconds, with its epicenter at a depth of about 13 km. However, the event left long-lasting consequences, resulting in approximately 4,000 people suffering permanent disabilities.
