Search for survivors continues after Haiti earthquake; battered country braces for Grace
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LES CAYES, Haiti — Rescuers and scrap metal scavengers dug into the floors of a collapsed hotel Monday in this quake-ravaged coastal town, where 15 bodies had already been extracted. Jean Moise Fortunè, whose brother, the hotel owner, was killed in the quake, believed there were two or three people trapped in the rubble.
But based on the size of voids that workers cautiously peered into, perhaps a foot in depth, finding survivors appeared unlikely.
While residents carted away twisted heaps of scrap metal to earn some money, Dukens Sylvain was a trying to detect signs of life.
“Those people are risking their lives for a bit of scrap,” the 37-year-old said of locals burrowing into the huge rubble pile. “I’m just worried about people’s lives.”
At a soccer pitch in Les Cayes, where families who had lost their homes tried to erect a bit of shade with sheets and sticks, people gathered for food being distributed off a truck.
The country’s Civil Protection Agency said 1,297 dead from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake had been counted by Sunday, a day after the temblor turned thousands of structures into rubble and set off frantic rescue efforts ahead of a potential deluge from an approaching tropical storm.
Saturday’s earthquake also left at least 5,700 people injured, with thousands more displaced from destroyed or damaged homes. After sundown Sunday, Les Cayes was darkened by intermittent blackouts, and many people slept outside, clutching small transistor radios tuned to news, terrified of the continuing aftershocks.
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PHOTO GALLERY
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AP Photo/Matias Delacroix
A man walks on a collapsed building in Saint-Louis-du-Sud, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, two days after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern part of the hemisphere's poorest nation on Aug. 14.
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UGC
This photo courtesy of Perri Pierre shows his family's vacation home after it was damaged by an earthquake in Saint-Louis-Du-Sud, near Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (Perri Pierre via AP)
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Duples Plymouth
A woman stands in front of a destroyed home in the aftermath of an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Duples Plymouth)
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Joseph Odelyn
An earthquake victim is transported by medical personnel at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
Earthquake victims arrive at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A man injured in the earthquake is transferred to a plane to be flown to Port-au-Prince, in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A man uses a sledgehammer trying to rescue people from the rubble of a home destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People search for survivors in a home destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People search for survivors in the debris of a home destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
The residence of the Catholic bishop lays in ruins after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People gather outside the Petit Pas Hotel, destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People search for survivors in a home destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Delot Jean
The CaSud restaurant and hotel is damaged after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck, in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. According to a family member of the owner, the owner and the owner's mother are trapped inside. (AP Photo/Delot Jean)
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Joseph Odelyn
A woman recovers belongings from her home destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A man tries to recover belongings from his home destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo / Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People walk past a home destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port- au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
Oxiliene Morency cries out in grief after the body of her 7-year-old-daughter Esther Daniel was recovered from the rubble of their home destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday , with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo / Joseph Odelyn)
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Delot Jean
A private residence is damaged after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, late Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Delot Jean)
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Joseph Odelyn
The body of a person is covered on a street after being hit by a car in Les Cayes, Haiti, late Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People displaced from their destroyed houses by an earthquake spend the night outdoors in the hospital garden in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing hundreds. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People displaced from their destroyed houses by an earthquake spend the night outdoors in the hospital garden in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing hundreds. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People displaced from their destroyed houses by an earthquake spend the night outdoors in the hospital garden in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing hundreds. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People displaced from their destroyed houses by the earthquake spend the night outdoors in a hospital garden in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, killing hundreds. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Delot Jean
The K-oriol mini mart building is damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Delot Jean)
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Delot Jean
The Cayimite Hotel is damaged after an earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Delot Jean)
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Ralph Tedy Erol
People recover the body of Jean Gabriel Fortune, a longtime lawmaker and former mayor of Les Cayes, from the rubble of the Hotel Le Manguier destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo / Ralph Tedy Erol)
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Ralph Tedy Erol
An aerial view of the Hotel Le Manguier destroyed by an earthquake, in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port -au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo / Ralph Tedy Erol)
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Delot Jean
People watch an earthquake victim be placed into a vehicle in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers ( 78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Delot Jean)
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Joseph Odelyn
A woman injured in the earthquake is transferred on a mattress to a plane to be flown to Port-au-Prince, in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A woman injured in the earthquake is transferred to a plane to be flown to Port-au-Prince, in Les Cayes, Haiti, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the US Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A family eats breakfast in front of homes destroyed by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A woman carries her child as she walks in the remains of her home destroyed by Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
Men carry a mattress as people sleep on the streets after Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
Locals eat after spending the night in the middle of a street after Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
Locals begin to wake up after spending the night outside after Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A firefighter searches for survivors inside a damaged building, after Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
Firefighters search for survivors inside a collapsed building, after Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
Firefighters search for survivors inside a collapsed building, after Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A family wakes inside a mosquito net outside a tent after spending the night at a soccer field following Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A couple sleeps after spending the night at a soccer field following Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
A girl washes her face after spending the night at a soccer field following Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People displaced by Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake collect water after sleeping in the streets in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
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Joseph Odelyn
People rest after spending the night at a soccer field following Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn)
