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Earthquake

Haiti earthquake

12 January 2010 Port-au-Prince · Haiti

Haiti earthquake
Image: USAID · Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
220,000Deaths
1.5MDisplaced / homeless
$7.8bnEstimated cost

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes 25 km from the capital, one of the most densely populated and fragile cities in the Americas. The National Palace and the UN headquarters collapse.

Consequences

Human consequences

About 1.5 million people live in makeshift camps.

Environmental consequences

Debris and rubble estimated at several tens of millions of m³.

Economic consequences

The state loses much of its administration and infrastructure.

Political consequences

A cholera epidemic introduced by UN peacekeepers kills about 10,000 people; the UN acknowledges its moral responsibility in 2016.

Further reading

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In the rankings : The deadliest earthquakes in history No. 5

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