The Haitian government has declared a state of emergency after at least 304 people died in a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti Saturday morning, the country’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced during a press conference.
The state of emergency will be in the Western Department, Southern Department, Nippes, and Grand’Anse.
“When it comes to medical needs, this is our biggest urgency. We have started to send medications and medical personnel to the facilities that are affected,” Henry said.
“We have sent more personnel to help out,” he said. “For the people who need urgent special care, we have evacuated a certain number of them, and we will evacuate some more today and tomorrow.”
At least 1,800 people were injured, according to the Haiti’s civil protection service.
“The first interventions, carried out by both professional rescuers and members of the population, have helped remove many people from under the rubble,” the civil protection service said on Twitter. “The hospitals continue to receive injured people.”