Heavy rains fall in area most affected by earthquake in Haiti

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Heavy rains fell in the last hours in southwestern Haiti, the area most affected by the earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale that last Saturday caused more than 1,400 deaths and 6,900 injured.

Tropical Storm Grace dumped heavy rainfall in the area throughout the night and early morning, but by Tuesday morning, only light rain persisted in the city of Les Cayes, the hardest hit by the earthquake.

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Thousands of buildings have collapsed in Les Cayes and other towns in the region, where authorities estimate that 60,000 people have had to leave their homes because of damage to their houses.

Civil Protection reported that rescue operations continue to search for survivors in the rubble despite the rains.

On Tuesday, 16 people were rescued from the rubble of the former barracks of the UN Stabilization Mission (Minustah) troops in the town of Brefèt, in Les Cayes, and 9 lifeless bodies were also recovered.

Tropical Storm Grace, which is advancing through the Caribbean towards the Yucatan peninsula, was approaching Jamaica on Tuesday after dumping rains in Haiti, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The rains of Grace can still cause floods and landslides in some parts of Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), although the storm has already headed towards Jamaica, with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 km / h).

The powerful earthquake, registered on Saturday, has caused 1,419 deaths and 6,900 injured, mostly in the southwest of the country, according to the latest official balance.

It has also destroyed nearly 37,300 homes and caused structural damage to 46,000 others, as well as 25 medical centers, according to authorities.