170,000 bodies of quake victims recovered in Haiti

Port-au-Prince, Jan 29 (IANS/EFE) Nearly 170,000 bodies have been recovered from the rubble as the rescue works continued since the devastating earthquake hit this Haitian capital city Jan 12.

A 16-year-old girl, who had been trapped under the debris of a Port-au-Prince school for 15 days, was pulled out alive Wednesday, bringing to 135 the number of people rescued so far.

Rescue workers have recovered nearly 170,000 bodies so far, said Haitian President Rene Preval as he gave the updated figure at a press conference, Radio Metropole reported.

According to estimates, the 7.0-magnitude quake left more than 170,000 dead and 1.5 million homeless, injured 200,000 and affected a third of Haiti’s 9 million inhabitants.

Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said Wednesday that it will take at least four or five years to restore the country.

United Nations said that “hundreds of thousands” of people are still in need food and shelter in Haiti and that the first tetanus cases and suspected measles cases have been observed in Leogane, west of Port-au-Prince and nearer to the quake’s epicentre.

The vaccination campaign for those diseases, as well as diphtheria and DTT, will begin next week, the UN said.

A report said that 7,500 people have been hired for rubble removal and road clearing as part of a cash-for-work-and-food program.

The Haitian government estimates that 262,901 people have left earthquake-affected areas for areas of northern and western Haiti and the displaced population ranges from between 800,000 and 1 million.

–IANS/EFE