Two earthquakes in southwestern Haiti kill two people and injure dozens
On Monday, two earthquakes shook southwestern Haiti, killing two people, injuring dozens of pupils, and damaging hundreds of homes.
There was widespread panic as residents feared that the damage would be similar to that caused by a quale that killed 2000 Haitians last year.
Both were centred on Haiti's southern peninsula, west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to the US Geological Survey. The two earthquakes occurred about 10 kilometres below the surface.
Haiti's civil protection agency said at least two people died, and dozens of schoolchildren were injured. Fifty people between the ages of 15 and 23 were in a state of shock and taken to the hospital.
Officials said 191 homes were destroyed while 591 were damaged in one region.
Yves Bosse, an elected official for the southern department of Nippes, told the Associated Press that one person died when the earthquake caused a landslide at a sand mine. He said the walls of homes developed cracks and businesses had to shut down for the day.
"People are scared to go back into their homes," he said.
Sylvera Guillame, director of Haiti's civil protection agency for the country's southern region, told AP that schools in the area closed and sent children home as a precautionary measure.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry offered his condolences to the victims and said his administration would fully support those affected.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on August 14, killing more than 2,200 people and damaging or destroying about 137,500 homes.
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