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Haiti earthquake "stole" up to half GDP â€” president

26 February 2010 00:42 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Damage inflicted by a powerful earthquake that hit Haiti in mid-January is comparable to 35-50% of the island nation’s GDP, President Rene Preval said, APA reports citing Ria Novosti.

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake followed by aftershocks devastated Haiti on January 12. Estimates as to the final death toll in the earthquake range to over 220,000 in and around the capital Port-au-Prince.

Several hundred thousand homes were destroyed. More than three million were left without shelter.

Preval was speaking at a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at a UN military base in Port-au-Prince.

The United Nations has called on the international community to ultimately collect $1.44 billion in aid for the impoverished Caribbean nation. Part of the sum has been collected.

Haiti’s nominal GDP totaled an estimated $7 billion in 2008.