Haiti death toll reaches nearly 2,000; over 1 million affected by earthquake

Haiti’s death toll from the earthquake over the weekend has reached nearly 2,000 as 1.2 million people have been found to be impacted by the natural disaster.

The country’s Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday there are 9,900 people injured from the earthquake and 1,941 dead, The Associated Press reported.

The death toll has jumped by hundreds from even earlier in the day when it was reported that 1,400 people were dead and more than 6,900 were injured.

The death toll rose as search and rescue efforts were halted due to Tropical Storm Grace, which hit the city of Les Cayes.

UNICEF estimated on Tuesday there have been 1.2 million people in the country impacted by the natural disaster, including 540,000 children.

“Last night, I saw strong winds and heavy rainfall strike the same areas already affected by the earthquake,” UNICEF’s representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes, who is currently in Les Cayes, said. “Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding.”

“Right now, about half a million Haitian children have limited or no access to shelter, safe water, health care and nutrition,” Maes said.

Haiti has been devastated by the earthquake, with many losing their homes and unable to access medical treatment due to the overwhelmed health care system.

The country still had yet to recover from an earthquake that happened in 2010 and left hundreds of thousands of citizens dead.