The death of over 300 people due to Earthquake in Hait

More than 300 people have died in Haiti after the Carrebean country was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that destroyed several homes and infrastructure.

The quake shook the southern part of the country on Saturday (August 14) and, according to Haiti's civil protection department, more than 1,800 people were injured.

The force of the earthquake has turned many buildings into rubble.

Transitional Prime Minister Ariel Henry said his country needed a lot of help and that he would declare a state of emergency due to the tragedy.

The rescue squad and civilian volunteers were able to rescue hundreds of people from the wreckage and to carry on the work.

However, it was difficult to assess the exact extent of the damage due to the difficulty of reaching the affected areas.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) has warned that the death toll from the quake could be high.

The USGS said the epicenter was the Gulf of Haiti, located about 125 miles [125 km] west of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The US Geological Survey has noted that most of the settlements in the area are made of brick and are at risk in the event of an earthquake.

According to the Dominican newspaper Diario Libre in the neighboring Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, the quake also shook the region.

Jamaica, hundreds of miles from Haiti, also reported being shaken by the quake.

US President Joe Biden sent his condolences to all those affected by the tragedy in Haiti.

The head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, said disaster management experts are in Haiti investigating the damage and assessing needs.