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Deadly storm hits Haiti, killing 5

25 September 2010 17:51 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A sudden storm has hit Haiti, killing five and injuring dozens more in the impoverished country which is still recovering from a devastating earthquake, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Friday’s storm swept through the country’s capital Port-au-Prince, blowing roofs off houses, uprooting trees, cutting power lines and destroying makeshift tent cities where most survivors of the January 12 earthquake have been living, the state-run BBC reported.

Two young girls and a 93-year-old woman who were living among the 1.3 million displaced Haitians in their tent encampments were killed by the storm, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, Civil Protection official Nadia Lochard said thousands of tents were torn apart as strong winds and heavy rains fell upon the city in only a matter of hours.

People were transferred to schools and other shelters, but are still in need of basic necessities such as blankets and clothes.

Although the storm has left Port-au-Prince, forecasters have warned that more heavy storms could hit the area in the coming days.

Reconstruction efforts continue in Haiti 9 months after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country, killing an estimated 250,000 people and leaving millions homeless.

It has been estimated that just 2 percent of the 33 million cubic yards of rubble from the earthquake has been cleared and much of the debris is contaminated with human remains and other materials.