A new 5.8-magnitude quake struck Haiti, becoming the strongest aftershock in the wake of Saturday’s 7.2-magnitude eathquake that wrought havoc in the island nation’s southern peninsula, killing at least 304 people.
The new tremor hit some 31km (19 miles) north of the city of Jeremie in Haiti’s westernmost Grand’Anse department on Sunday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
The USGS put the quake’s depth at 12km.
Notable quake, preliminary info: M 5.8 – 12 km NNE of Chardonnière, Haiti https://t.co/dIFxm5edek
While the USGS predicted that some casualties may result from the new quake, and that it could require “a local or regional level response,” the potential impact is expected to be “relatively localized.”
The aftershock comes just a day after the Caribbean nation was shaken by a disastrous 7.2-magnitude quake that leveled homes across Haiti’s southern peninsula, cluttering roads with debris strewn all over the ground.
At least 304 people lost their lives in the Saturday quake, and more than 1,800 have been injured. It is feared that the death toll may climb even higher as rescues continue to search for survivors amid the rubble.
The events immediately prompted comparisons with the catastrophic 2010 quake, which left the country in tatters and from which Haiti had been still recovering.
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