Casualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
Casualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquake include both civilian and government officials, locals and foreigners – however the overwhelming majority of those killed and wounded in the quake were Haitian civilians. A number of public figures died in the earthquake, including government officials, clergy members, musicians, together with foreign civilian and military personnel working with the United Nations. On 15 January, the Red Cross estimated the death toll at between 45,000 and 50,000, however by 24 January, Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue said the death toll was over 150,000 in the Port-au-Prince  metropolitan area alone. Haitian president René Préval reported on 27 January that "nearly 170,000" bodies had been counted. On 21 February, Preval raised that estimate to 300,000. In February, prime minister Jean-Max Bellerive estimated that 300,000 had been injured. Speaking in Miami in June 2010, Bellerive also estimated the number of deaths had been 300,000. On the first anniversary of the quake, Bellerive raised the death toll to 316,000. He said that was, in part, because of the recovery of additional bodies. A University of Michigan study in 2010 estimated about 160,000 deaths. Background. The earthquake occurred on 12  January 2010 approximately WSW from the country's capital Port-au-Prince at 16:53 UTC-5 on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system. The earthquake was measured a magnitude of 7.0 M earthquake and was followed by a series of aftershocks, fourteen of them between magnitudes 5.0 and 5.9. The main area affected by the quake was Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region, although it was also felt in several surrounding countries and regions including Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the neighbouring country of Dominican Republic. No casualties were reported outside of Haiti. Much of Port-au-Prince's infrastructure  was significantly damaged or destroyed in the earthquake, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, hospitals, schools and the main prison. All hospitals were destroyed or so badly damaged that they were abandoned. In addition, the facilities of foreign governments and non-government organizations were badly damaged in the quake, including the headquarters of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which was destroyed. Calculating casualties. Calculating the exact number of casualties in the earthquake is an "impossible" task due to the mass number of victims and a lack of a centralized system  for tabulating casualties. In the weeks following the earthquake there were a number of estimate figures, ranging from the low tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands. On 12 January, Haitian prime minister Jean-Max Bellerive stated that the death toll could be "well over 100,000". On 15 January, the Red Cross stated that 40,000–50,000 may have died, while Haitian interior minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé estimated that the dead were between 100,000 and 200,000. On 17 January, Bien-Aimé stated that there were "around 50,000 dead bodies" and "there will be between 100,000 and 200,000 dead in total , although we will never know the exact number." Prime Minister Bellerive then announced that over 70,000 bodies have been buried in mass graves. Several days after the quake Haitian authorities estimated the number of injured at 250,000. According to Belgian disaster emergency medicine expert Claude de Ville de Goyet "round numbers are a sure sign that nobody knows." Haitian president René Préval reported on 27 January that "nearly 170,000" bodies had been counted. On 10 February the Haitian government reported the death toll to have reached 230,000. However, an investigation by Radio Netherlands has questioned the official death toll, reporting  an estimate of 92,000 deaths as being a more realistic figure. Other officials did not even attempt to provide a casualty estimate. Edmond Mulet, who was appointed head of the United Nations after the quake, stated that "I don’t think we will ever know what the death toll is from this earthquake." And the director of the Haitian Red Cross, Guiteau Jean-Pierre, noted that his organization didn't "have time to count" bodies, as they were too busy trying to treat survivors. The complications of coming up with an accurate casualty count were revealed in an interview by  The New York Times reporters with the employees at the mortuary in the largest hospital in Port-au-Prince. In the interview, Alix Lassegue, the head physician at the morgue, provided a rough estimate of the number of bodies that had been passed through the mortuary by tabulating the square yardage of the area where bodies had been placed and the space that each body occupied times the number of times bodies were removed from the grounds. Lassegue's estimate was an even 10,000. Other employees estimated the number of bodies that had passed through the morgue as 75,000, 50,000  and 25,000. Compounding the problem of calculating casualties was that people were burying the dead in informal graves and many bodies had been thrown into dumps outside the city. In addition, thousands of people were leaving areas affected by the earthquake, without any centralized method of tabulating who had left. The most reliable academic estimate of the number of earthquake casualties in Haiti (over 95% were in the immediate Port-au-Prince area) "within six weeks of the earthquake" appears to be the 160,000 estimate in a 2010 University of Michigan study. An alternative method that may be used to  tabulate casualties is by using the satellite imagery of Port-au-Prince located on Google Maps so that destroyed buildings can be catalogued and an estimate of casualties can be calculated using data on the inhabitants. But this method is complicated by the fact that such data may be inaccurate and infectious diseases, such as dysentery, malaria and dengue fever, could take their toll on survivors. A statistical study by a specialist group at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California estimated that the number of children injured was 110,000, or roughly half the total  number of injuries. There were reports of more precise numbers of casualties for certain areas of the country. On 18 January, Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) reported that 145 had died and 380 were wounded in Jacmel, the country's fourth largest city located in the south of Haiti. Some other local communal leaders were attempting to count the number of dead in their community. "The New York Times" reported that in the Edmond Paul region in southern Port-au-Prince, lawyer and community leader Isaac Jean Widner was organizing a list of the dead. Widner estimated that  of the 3,000 people that had lived in his neighborhood before the quake, 1,000 had died, but he added that "between the exodus and those still trapped it was impossible to confirm." Response and treatment of casualties. The earthquake struck in the most populated area of the country and the International Red Cross estimated that as many as 3 million people have been affected by the quake, including injuries and deaths. One factor that contributed to the number casualties in the aftermath of the earthquake was a lack of medical supplies, damage to hospitals, and a shortage of medical and  rescue personnel. In addition, Haitian and foreign medical staff, police, and military personnel themselves became victims of the earthquake. An example of this was Port-au-Prince's Grace Children's Hospital, where it was reported on 19 January that of 120 employees, only six had been accounted for and some had been confirmed killed. Soon after the quake struck appeals for international aid were issued by Haitian government officials, including Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States. Neighboring Dominican Republic was one of the first countries to give aid to Haiti. And the non-governmental organization Giving  Children Hope distributed much-needed medicines and supplies. International organization also began large-scale fund raising campaigns for aid to Haiti, including campaigns by the International Red Cross and relief charities in Britain. On 25 January Handicap International published a statement that an estimated 1,000 amputations had taken place due to injuries. In response to the quake the organization dispatched 30 rehabilitation and health staff to Haiti and announced that they would eventually increase staff numbers to 100 and provide hundreds of prostheses. In addition, the government of the United States issued orders for deployment to the U.S. Army's  1st Battalion, 73rd Infantry from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, which is scheduled to deploy along with the aircraft carrier . The U.S. Navy also announced on 13 January 2010 that the hospital ship "Comfort" and amphibious helicopter carrier will be deployed to assist in the humanitarian relief efforts. The American government also announced that it would provide $100 million for the aid effort in Haiti. Partners in Health, the largest health care provider in rural Haiti, also provided aid from Port-au-Prince. Despite the domestic and international relief efforts, many Haitians in the initial days after the earthquake did  not have access to health care. Those injured in the quake, including both Haitians and foreign, have been treated in hospitals abroad. Many patients were transferred to hospitals in neighboring Dominican Republic, including to hospitals in the capital Santo Domingo and in the border towns of Neiba and Jimaní. The total number of casualties treated in the Dominican Republic reached into the hundreds and on 20 January the Dominican Republican government announced that 600 patients would be repatriated to Haiti. Some casualties were brought to the United States, including nearly 500 patients who were transported to Florida and treated in  hospitals across the state, including University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital. Burial of the dead was one of the most serious concerns in the aftermath of the earthquake as the main cemetery in Port-au-Prince announced that its plots were full and it was not accepting any more bodies. The Haitian law that bodies must be prepared by a funeral parlor before burial was suspended within the first day of the earthquake. The government then turned to burying the dead in mass graves, including a number of plots in the fields around Titanyen, located north of the capital . Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross encouraged Haitian authorities to take measures so that the bodies could later be identified, including filling out standard forms on bodies; photographing clothing, jewelry, and special marks on the body; and noting where the body was found and where it was buried. Religious leader, including both Roman Catholic and Vodou priests, also objected to the mass burials. Max Beauvoir, the head of Haiti's main Voodoo priests' organization called the mass burials "degrading", "indecent" and "inhuman", due to the fact that in Voodoo the regular maintenance of the tomb and visitation  of gravesites by descendants is highly important. There were also confirmed reports of uncollected bodies being burned in the streets. Individuals. The vast majority of those injured and killed in the earthquake were Haitian. Haitian casualties came from all sectors of society, from common citizens to prominent leaders and entertainers. Victims include public figures such as Port-au-Prince Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot and the vicar general, Msgr. Charles Benoit, who were killed in the destruction of the Port-au-Prince Cathedral. A number of individuals with connections to the government were killed: Hubert Deronceray, a former Minister of Education  and Minister of Social Services and a three-time candidate for president, and opposition leader Micha Gaillard. An early report also listed Justice Minister Paul Denis as one of the victims but Denis was in fact able to escape the ministry's collapsing building in time. Among the academics killed were topographer Gina Porcena and creolist Pierre Vernet. Prominent Women's movement activists were killed, including Magalie Marcelin, who founded the organization Kay Fanm to help shelter victims of rape and violence; Myriam Merlet, who was currently working for Haiti's Ministry for Gender and the Rights of Women; Anne -Marie Coriolan, who founded the organization Solidarite Fanm Ayisyen (Solidarity with Haitian Women); and Myrna Narcisse, Director General of the Ministry of Women's Condition. The Haitian music industry experienced extensive losses in the quake. The dead included Joubert Charles, the most prominent promoter of music in Port-au-Prince; rapper Jimmy O. and rapper Evenson "Shacan Lord" Francis of the group Gasoline Clan. The music groups Djakout Mizik, Kreyol La, Nu Look, Krezy Mizik, Mika Ben, Mizik Mizik, and Carimi all reported missing members. A Haitian press association also reported that more than a dozen journalists had been killed . Among these were Wanel Fils, a reporter with Radio Galaxie; Henry Claude Pierre, a Jacmel-based correspondent for Radio Magic 9; and Belot Senatus, a cameraman for Radio Tele Guinen. Jean Robert François, a reporter with Radio Magic 9, was seriously wounded. The Caribbean Football Union reported that at least 30 people with ties to Fédération Haïtienne de Football were killed, including players, coaches, referees, and administrative and medical representatives. Among those killed were Alix Avin, head coach of the senior men's team; Gerard Cineus former Haiti national football team coach; Antoine Craan, one of the first black professional  soccer players in Canada and a longtime Quebec soccer official. and Jean Yves Labaze, who coached Haiti to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2007 and coached the national women's team. Some 20 others with ties to Haitian football were feared buried in the ruins. The families of numerous famous Haitians were casualties in the quake, including the family of WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, who withdrew from a 30 January boxing match after learning of the death of relatives. Various Catholic religious institutes reported the deaths and injury of dozens of clergy members and the destruction and damage  of churches, religious schools and offices. Among the more seriously affected was the Salesian religious institute, which stated that as many as 500 students and staff were killed in the collapse of the buildings and schools operated by the institute in Haiti. Those killed included Brother Hubert Sanon, the first Haitian Salesian, and 250 schoolchildren and some 200 young women studying in the schools. Protestant groups also reported casualties, the US-based Southern Baptist International Mission Board, which announced the death of Bienne Lamerique, pastor of the Siloam Baptist Church in Port-au-Prince. Foreign-based companies doing business in  Haiti also suffered casualties. Trilogy International Partners, which provides mobile phone service in Haiti through its subsidiary Comcel Haiti and is one of the largest foreign investors in the country, announced that 5 of its 575 employees had died and 35 remained missing. U.S.-based Citigroup Inc. announced that the bank's headquarters in Haiti had been destroyed, killing and injuring some employees. And Oxfam reported that a business manager named Amedee Marescot was injured in the collapse of the Oxfam office and later died in hospital. Universities and religious institutions also reported the losses. The University of Virginia stated that  graduate student Pierrette Stephanie Jean-Charles was killed while at home with her family. The First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, Massachusetts reported that at least thirty nursing students were killed in the destruction of the CONASPEH School, which the church had been assisting. The fates of some civilian Haitians received the attention of international media. Both "The Washington Post" and U.S.-based National Public Radio reported on the story of a nine-year-old girl named Haryssa, who died beneath the remains of her home before rescuers could reach her. As had CNN with the story of Anaika St. Louis , who was pulled from the rubble of her home in an hours long rescue effort, but died after her family was told at a hospital that they could not care for her. But many Haitian casualties went completely unrecorded. Agence France-Presse reported that in the initial days of the earthquake corpses remained unburied in the streets across the capital and the majority of bodies at the city morgue remained unidentified and unclaimed. At least two mass graves had been dug in Port-au-Prince for interment of the dead. Other bodies were often buried by family members in informal  graves. The lack of a centralized system for tabulating casualties means that the exact number of dead and injured is unknown. The looting and violence that occurred in the wake of the quake also led to casualties, including fifteen-year-old Fabienne Cherisma, who was killed on Marthely Seiee Street in Port-au-Prince when police fired shots to disperse looters. Others identified as looters or thieves were killed by vigilantes. United Nations casualties. The UN headquarters hosting the stabilization mission for Haiti (MINUSTAH), at the Christopher Hotel in Port-au-Prince, suffered a devastating collapse, concentrating early UN rescue  efforts on their own personnel. Most of MINUSTAH's 9,000 troops and police were located elsewhere. Many U.N. personnel trapped in the building died, including mission head Hédi Annabi and deputy head of the UN mission in Haiti, Luiz Carlos da Costa UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has confirmed that 83 UN staff members had died and 32 remained missing. Foreign casualties. At the time of the earthquake there were a large number of foreigners in Haiti, including non-governmental workers, businessmen, Christian missionaries, and foreign passport holders of Haitian descent. The largest number of foreigners in Haiti was  from neighboring countries, including an estimated 40,000–45,000 American citizens, 6,000 Canadians, and 1,200 French. An official of the Dominican Republic reported that there were 2,600 Dominicans living in Haiti as "legal residents." Foreign casualties included government workers, employees of international companies, religious missionaries, and aid workers. Jamaica-based Digicel announced that two of their 900 employees were killed in the quake.