Death toll passes 50 after school collapse
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – What started as a normal day ended in a tragedy when a church-owned school collapsed in Petionville Friday (Nov. 7), killing at least 58 and injuring many more, with hundreds feared trapped beneath the rubble.
According to Caribbean Net News, the main three-storey building of the College La Promesse collapsed during regular class sessions and caused extensive damage to nearby properties in the Nerettes community near the capital.
Although there has been no report as to how many students were in school at the time of the collapse, it was reported that approximately 500 students, ranging from kindergarten classes to high school level, regularly attended the school.
Crying parents and relatives of students and teachers all joined the Red Cross volunteers, UN peacekeeping troops and Haitian Police and Rescue Service personnel in the desperate search for hundreds trapped under the rubble.~~Adz:Right~~
The island does not have the necessary sophisticated machinery for the rescue mission and is requesting heavy search and rescue equipment to save the lives of those buried beneath the ruins.
There has been no official statement in relation to the cause of the collapse, but some authorities think that there may have been a minor earthquake in the area.
Haiti News