Haiti's death toll soars to 724 after powerful earthquake

The death toll from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti has soared to 724 as rescuers race to find survivors before an approaching tropical storm.

Some 2,800 other people have been injured in the Caribbean nation, with thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes.

Survivors in some areas were forced to shelter in streets or football fields with their few salvaged belongings while overloaded hospitals scrambled to help those who were injured.

The devastation could soon worsen with the impending Tropical Storm Grace, predicted to reach Haiti late Monday or early Tuesday.

It will bring the potential for torrential rain, flooding and landslides.

The U.S. National Hurricane Centre forecasts 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimetres) of rain in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with up to 15 inches in some southern parts of the island they share.

The earthquake struck the south western part of the hemisphere's poorest nation, almost flattening some towns and triggering landslides that hampered rescue efforts in a country already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence.

The epicentre was about 125 kilometres (78 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and aftershocks continued to jolt the area Sunday.

In the badly damaged coastal town of Les Cayes, some families salvaged their few belongings and spent the night at an open-air football pitch.

On Sunday morning, people lined up to buy what little was available: bananas, avocados and water at a local street market.

Some in the town praised God for surviving the earthquake, and many went to the city's cathedral, which appeared outwardly undamaged even if the priests' residence was destroyed.

“We only have Jesus now,” said Johanne Dorcely, 58, whose house was destroyed. “If it wasn't for Jesus, I wouldn't be able to be here today.”

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