Foreign aid has started to reach Haiti&nbsp;days after a powerful earthquake killed nearly 2,200 people and&nbsp;flattened tens of thousands of buildings into rubble.

With almost 53,000 homes completely destroyed and more than 77,000 others damaged in Saturday's tremor, authorities have a massive group of people that will need extensive recovery help.

Yet, authorities intend to provide materials for locals to rebuild their collapsed houses, rather than set up the type of camps that popped up after the earthquake that killed over 200,000 in the capital Port-au-Prince.

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The latest disaster struck just weeks after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated on July 7, plunging the nation of 11 million people deeper into a political crisis that has worsened its economic woes.

Hundreds of people lined up to receive provisions from the UN&nbsp;World Food Programme at a camp in the rural town of Camp-Perrin for people displaced by Saturday's 7.2 magnitude quake. The official death toll stood at 2,189 but was expected to rise.

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A powerful earthquake in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Haiti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Haiti</a> has triggered large numbers of landslides. A break in the clouds offered Landsat 8 this view of hillslopes that gave way during the magnitude 7.2 temblor. <a href="https://t.co/aSIXKxuVOB">https://t.co/aSIXKxuVOB</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fp0NycVvLG">pic.twitter.com/Fp0NycVvLG</a>
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A mudslide caused by two nights of heavy rain earlier this week had partly blocked the main road leading to the area. Any more rain could make it impassable, locals said. People were sleeping out in a field under trees.

Private relief supplies and shipments from the US&nbsp;government and others were arriving in the southwestern peninsula where the weekend quake struck, killing more than 2,100 people. But the need was extreme, made worse by the rain from Tropical Storm Grace, and people were growing frustrated with the slow pace.

France also sent a ship with humanitarian cargo, a helicopter and 25 soldiers, said Florence Parly, the French armed forces minister.

Tension over the slow distribution of aid has become increasingly evident in the area hit hardest by Saturday’s quake. At the small airport in Les Cayes, people thronged a perimeter fence Wednesday as aid was loaded into trucks and police fired warning shots to disperse a crowd of young men.

Angry crowds also massed at collapsed buildings in the city, demanding tarps to create temporary shelters after Grace’s heavy rain. Also in Les Cayes, 22 prisoners escaped from the jail after the quake hit, said National Police spokeswoman Marie-Michelle Verrier.

International aid workers said hospitals in the worst-hit areas are mostly incapacitated, which is why many patients need to be moved to the capital for treatment. But reaching Port-au-Prince from the southwest is difficult under normal conditions because of poor roads and gangs along the route.

Even with a supposed gang truce following the earthquake, kidnapping remains a threat,&nbsp;underscored by the seizure of the two doctors working at the private Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince, where about 50 quake victims were being treated.

And another problem emerged in the quake-damaged southern provinces, where national police said villagers put up barricades on the roads to prevent aid from getting through, arguing that they need help too.

Haiti&nbsp;is the poorest country in the Americas, and is still recovering from a 2010 quake&nbsp;that killed over 200,000.

(With inputs from agencies)

Foreign aid has started to reach Haiti days after a powerful earthquake killed nearly 2,200 people and flattened tens of thousands of buildings into rubble. With almost 53,000 homes completely destroyed and more than 77,000 others damaged in Saturday's tremor, authorities have a massive group of people that will need extensive recovery help.

Foreign aid has started to reach Haiti days after a powerful earthquake killed nearly 2,200 people and flattened tens of thousands of buildings into rubble. With almost 53,000 homes completely destroyed and more than 77,000 others damaged in Saturday's tremor, authorities have a massive group of people that will need extensive recovery help. Yet, authorities intend to provide materials for locals to rebuild their collapsed houses, rather than set up the type of camps that popped up after the earthquake that killed over 200,000 in the capital Port-au-Prince. The latest disaster struck just weeks after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated on July 7, plunging the nation of 11 million people deeper into a political crisis that has worsened its economic woes. Hundreds of people lined up to receive provisions from the UN World Food Programme at a camp in the rural town of Camp-Perrin for people displaced by Saturday's 7.2 magnitude quake. The official death toll stood at 2,189 but was expected to rise. A powerful earthquake in #Haiti has triggered large numbers of landslides. A break in the clouds offered Landsat 8 this view of hillslopes that gave way during the magnitude 7.2 temblor. https://t.co/aSIXKxuVOB pic.twitter.com/Fp0NycVvLG — NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) August 16, 2021 × A mudslide caused by two nights of heavy rain earlier this week had partly blocked the main road leading to the area. Any more rain could make it impassable, locals said. People were sleeping out in a field under trees. Private relief supplies and shipments from the US government and others were arriving in the southwestern peninsula where the weekend quake struck, killing more than 2,100 people. But the need was extreme, made worse by the rain from Tropical Storm Grace, and people were growing frustrated with the slow pace. France also sent a ship with humanitarian cargo, a helicopter and 25 soldiers, said Florence Parly, the French armed forces minister. Tension over the slow distribution of aid has become increasingly evident in the area hit hardest by Saturday’s quake. At the small airport in Les Cayes, people thronged a perimeter fence Wednesday as aid was loaded into trucks and police fired warning shots to disperse a crowd of young men. Angry crowds also massed at collapsed buildings in the city, demanding tarps to create temporary shelters after Grace’s heavy rain. Also in Les Cayes, 22 prisoners escaped from the jail after the quake hit, said National Police spokeswoman Marie-Michelle Verrier. International aid workers said hospitals in the worst-hit areas are mostly incapacitated, which is why many patients need to be moved to the capital for treatment. But reaching Port-au-Prince from the southwest is difficult under normal conditions because of poor roads and gangs along the route. Even with a supposed gang truce following the earthquake, kidnapping remains a threat, underscored by the seizure of the two doctors working at the private Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince, where about 50 quake victims were being treated. And another problem emerged in the quake-damaged southern provinces, where national police said villagers put up barricades on the roads to prevent aid from getting through, arguing that they need help too. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, and is still recovering from a 2010 quake that killed over 200,000. (With inputs from agencies)

Earthquake-ravaged Haiti struggles to count victims as foreign aid trickles in

An earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people in Haiti had left the Caribbean nation "on its knees", Prime Minister Ariel Henry said on Wednesday, as survivors showed increasing frustration about the sluggish arrival of relief to hard-hit areas.

Henry had on Sunday flown to Les Cayes, the southwestern city of 100,000 people which bore the brunt of Saturday's magnitude 7.2 quake, and pledged a rapid increase in aid. But in a video address on Wednesday evening, he conceded Haiti was in trouble.

"Haiti is now on its knees," Henry said. "The earthquake that devastated a large part of the south of the country proves once again our limits, and how fragile we are."

Dozens of people went to Les Cayes airport demanding food after a helicopter arrived carrying supplies, a Reuters witness said. Police intervened to allow a truck carrying aid to leave.

Following another night of rains, residents in Les Cayes, including those camped in a mushrooming tent city in the city center, complained of scant assistance.

Haitian authorities said late on Wednesday that the official death toll had risen to 2,189.

Concern was also growing for more remote places outside Les Cayes such as Jeremie to the northwest, where access roads were damaged, videos on social media showed.

Pierre Cenel, a judge in Les Cayes, rebuked the government in Port-au-Prince.

"As a judge, I must not have a political opinion. But as a man, as a man concerned about the situation of my country, nothing is working. They didn't do anything to prepare for this disaster," Cenel said.

The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti is still recovering from a 2010 quake that killed over 200,000. The latest calamity hit just weeks after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated on July 7, plunging Haiti into political turmoil.

Jerry Chandler, head of Haiti's civil protection agency, told a news conference he knew aid had yet to reach many areas but officials were working hard to deliver it.

"The frustration and despair of the population is understood, but ... the population is asked not to block the convoys so that civil protection can do its job," he said.

There were at least 600,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance and 135,000 families displaced, Chandler said. The goal was to deliver aid to everyone in need within a week.

RISK OF DISEASE

In the tent city in Les Cayes displaced residents were getting worried.

"We need help," said Roosevelt Milford, a pastor speaking on radio on behalf of the hundreds camping out in soggy fields since the quake destroyed their homes.

Milford and others complained they lacked even the most basic provisions, such as food, clean drinking water, and shelter from the rain. Tanks of drinking water were destroyed during the quake, authorities said.

Tropical Storm Grace this week swept away many shelters and inundated the field.

Moril Jeudy, a community leader in Marigot south of Port-au-Prince, said while the town had emerged intact from the quake, Grace had flooded hundreds of homes, killed four people and left several more missing. And no help had arrived yet.

"Even the NGOs didn't come," he said.

Security concerns about gang-controlled areas on the route from the capital Port-au-Prince, slowed aid access.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said negotiations with armed groups had permitted a humanitarian convoy to reach Les Cayes.

Chandler said the government was increasing the number of aid convoys going by land, and aimed to reach three a day soon.

In L'Asile, a town of over 30,000 people 60 km (40 miles) northeast of Les Cayes, community leader Aldorf Hilaire said government help had yet to arrive, and survivors were relying on support from charities such as Doctors Without Borders.

"We are desperate," he told Reuters. "The springs are dirty: the water is not drinkable ... We had a bad night during the storm and the people need tents and tarps."

Authorities have said the earthquake killed at least 1,941 people and injured some 9,900 others, but with rescuers still pulling bodies from the rubble the tally looks set to rise.

In a rare piece of good news, 34 people had been rescued in the last two days, Chandler said. But hopes are fading.

An earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people in Haiti had left the Caribbean nation "on its knees", Prime Minister Ariel Henry said on Wednesday, as survivors showed increasing frustration about the sluggish arrival of relief to hard-hit areas.

An earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people in Haiti had left the Caribbean nation "on its knees", Prime Minister Ariel Henry said on Wednesday, as survivors showed increasing frustration about the sluggish arrival of relief to hard-hit areas. Henry had on Sunday flown to Les Cayes, the southwestern city of 100,000 people which bore the brunt of Saturday's magnitude 7.2 quake, and pledged a rapid increase in aid. But in a video address on Wednesday evening, he conceded Haiti was in trouble. "Haiti is now on its knees," Henry said. "The earthquake that devastated a large part of the south of the country proves once again our limits, and how fragile we are." Dozens of people went to Les Cayes airport demanding food after a helicopter arrived carrying supplies, a Reuters witness said. Police intervened to allow a truck carrying aid to leave. Following another night of rains, residents in Les Cayes, including those camped in a mushrooming tent city in the city center, complained of scant assistance. Haitian authorities said late on Wednesday that the official death toll had risen to 2,189. Concern was also growing for more remote places outside Les Cayes such as Jeremie to the northwest, where access roads were damaged, videos on social media showed. Pierre Cenel, a judge in Les Cayes, rebuked the government in Port-au-Prince. "As a judge, I must not have a political opinion. But as a man, as a man concerned about the situation of my country, nothing is working. They didn't do anything to prepare for this disaster," Cenel said. The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti is still recovering from a 2010 quake that killed over 200,000. The latest calamity hit just weeks after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated on July 7, plunging Haiti into political turmoil. Jerry Chandler, head of Haiti's civil protection agency, told a news conference he knew aid had yet to reach many areas but officials were working hard to deliver it. "The frustration and despair of the population is understood, but ... the population is asked not to block the convoys so that civil protection can do its job," he said. There were at least 600,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance and 135,000 families displaced, Chandler said. The goal was to deliver aid to everyone in need within a week. RISK OF DISEASE In the tent city in Les Cayes displaced residents were getting worried. "We need help," said Roosevelt Milford, a pastor speaking on radio on behalf of the hundreds camping out in soggy fields since the quake destroyed their homes. Milford and others complained they lacked even the most basic provisions, such as food, clean drinking water, and shelter from the rain. Tanks of drinking water were destroyed during the quake, authorities said. Tropical Storm Grace this week swept away many shelters and inundated the field. Moril Jeudy, a community leader in Marigot south of Port-au-Prince, said while the town had emerged intact from the quake, Grace had flooded hundreds of homes, killed four people and left several more missing. And no help had arrived yet. "Even the NGOs didn't come," he said. Security concerns about gang-controlled areas on the route from the capital Port-au-Prince, slowed aid access. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said negotiations with armed groups had permitted a humanitarian convoy to reach Les Cayes. Chandler said the government was increasing the number of aid convoys going by land, and aimed to reach three a day soon. In L'Asile, a town of over 30,000 people 60 km (40 miles) northeast of Les Cayes, community leader Aldorf Hilaire said government help had yet to arrive, and survivors were relying on support from charities such as Doctors Without Borders. "We are desperate," he told Reuters. "The springs are dirty: the water is not drinkable ... We had a bad night during the storm and the people need tents and tarps." Authorities have said the earthquake killed at least 1,941 people and injured some 9,900 others, but with rescuers still pulling bodies from the rubble the tally looks set to rise. In a rare piece of good news, 34 people had been rescued in the last two days, Chandler said. But hopes are fading.

Quake leaves Haiti 'on its knees' as impatience grows over lack of aid

An earthquake hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and sparking a scramble by rescue agencies to help residents of the worst-hit towns in the impoverished Caribbean country.

A local official said at least eight people died in Port-de-Paix on the northern coast near the epicenter of the magnitude 5.9 quake, which struck at a depth of 11.7 kilometres (7.3 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Four people were killed in and around the town of Gros-Morne farther south, local authorities said, including a woman who died from a heart attack suffered after the quake.

Another person was killed in the town of Chansolme when a house collapsed and one other person in Saint-Louis-du-Nord. Rescue teams fanned out to help residents, many of whom were still dealing with the trauma of a devastating earthquake in 2010.

A magnitude 5.2 aftershock on Sunday afternoon sent people rushing into the street in Port-de-Paix, with many vowing that they would not sleep inside their houses that night.

Marie Lourdes Estainvil, 45, raised her hands and loudly sang, "Jesus, we need your presence among us!" as others gathered.

There were no immediate reports of further damage from the aftershock.

President Jovenel Moise said he would send additional police and military to the region, promising to assist the families of victims.

Some houses in the worst-affected areas were destroyed by the earthquake, the agency said. The full extent of the damage was not clear though in parts of Port-de-Paix residents tried to go about their business normally on Sunday.

A local government representative said 152 people were injured in Port-de-Paix, and the most seriously hurt were taken by air ambulance to the capital Port-au-Prince for treatment. Another 30 were injured in Gros-Morne.

Among the damaged buildings was a church in the northern town of Plaisance, the civil protection agency said, adding that additional food and medical supplies were on their way to the most battered towns.

The tremor was one of the strongest to batter Haiti since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital in 2010. It killed tens of thousands of people.

An earthquake hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and sparking a scramble by rescue agencies to help residents of the worst-hit towns in the impoverished Caribbean country.

An earthquake hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and sparking a scramble by rescue agencies to help residents of the worst-hit towns in the impoverished Caribbean country. A local official said at least eight people died in Port-de-Paix on the northern coast near the epicenter of the magnitude 5.9 quake, which struck at a depth of 11.7 kilometres (7.3 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Four people were killed in and around the town of Gros-Morne farther south, local authorities said, including a woman who died from a heart attack suffered after the quake. Another person was killed in the town of Chansolme when a house collapsed and one other person in Saint-Louis-du-Nord. Rescue teams fanned out to help residents, many of whom were still dealing with the trauma of a devastating earthquake in 2010. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock on Sunday afternoon sent people rushing into the street in Port-de-Paix, with many vowing that they would not sleep inside their houses that night. Marie Lourdes Estainvil, 45, raised her hands and loudly sang, "Jesus, we need your presence among us!" as others gathered. There were no immediate reports of further damage from the aftershock. President Jovenel Moise said he would send additional police and military to the region, promising to assist the families of victims. Some houses in the worst-affected areas were destroyed by the earthquake, the agency said. The full extent of the damage was not clear though in parts of Port-de-Paix residents tried to go about their business normally on Sunday. A local government representative said 152 people were injured in Port-de-Paix, and the most seriously hurt were taken by air ambulance to the capital Port-au-Prince for treatment. Another 30 were injured in Gros-Morne. Among the damaged buildings was a church in the northern town of Plaisance, the civil protection agency said, adding that additional food and medical supplies were on their way to the most battered towns. The tremor was one of the strongest to batter Haiti since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital in 2010. It killed tens of thousands of people.

Haiti quake kills at least 14, aftershock jolts nervous residents