Terrified Haitians sleep in streets after earthquake as tropical storm moves in

Terrified residents slept in the streets fearing their houses would collapse after Haiti was shaken by a major earthquake that killed hundreds.

Tropical Storm Grace is now bearing down on the Caribbean country, threatening to cause chaos and worsen the humanitarian crisis with about 10ins of rain, flash flooding and strong winds.

With the storm expected to arrive on Monday, just days after Haiti was soaked by Tropical Storm Fred, rescuers continued to search overnight for people trapped in rubble after hundreds of homes were flattened by the 7.2 magnitude quake.

At least 304 people were killed - with the toll expected to rise - and more than 1,800 injured as Haiti was devastated by its second major earthquake in 11 years.

Have you been affected by the earthquake? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk.

Injured people and their relatives gather outside a hospital in Les Cayes which was damaged by the earthquake ( REUTERS)

The impoverished country is still clawing its way back from the 2010 disaster which had an official government death toll of more than 300,000.

Haiti has been without a head of state since the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, last month.

Southwestern Haiti bore the brunt of the blow, especially in the region in and around the city of Les Cayes, where patients at a damaged hospital were treated in beds set up outside.

Churches, hotels, hospitals and schools were badly damaged or destroyed, while the walls of a prison were rent open by the violent shudders that convulsed Haiti at 8:29 a.m. that morning.

People work to clear rubble during the search for survivors following the quake ( Duples Plymouth/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

"We need to show a lot of solidarity with the emergency," said Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry, a neurosurgeon who was thrust to the forefront of the troubled country after the shocking assassination of Mr Moise on July 7.

Some Haitians said they would spend Saturday night sleeping in the open, traumatised by memories of the magnitude 7.0 2010 quake that struck far closer to the sprawling capital Port-au-Prince, and killed tens of thousands of people.

Relatives who live abroad told of their concerns for family who have been affected by the quake.

A destroyed building in Les Cayes following the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake ( REUTERS)

One woman tweeted: "Just spoke to my sister in #Haiti! Feeling relieved but can't sleep knowing that she's sleeping outside because she's afraid the aftershocks might cause what's left of her home to collapse on her body."

Another woman wrote: "Thinking about everyone in Haiti probably sleeping outside or not at all because the fear of another one coming. I know my dad is.

"They won’t feel comfortable indoors for weeks. Then they have a tropical storm coming their way too."

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Footage of Saturday's aftermath posted on social media showed residents reaching into narrow openings in piles of fallen masonry to pull out shocked and distraught people from the debris of walls and roofs that had crumbled around them.

Access to the worst-hit areas has been complicated by a deterioration in law and order that has left key access roads in parts of Haiti in the hands of gangs, although unconfirmed reports on social media suggested they would let aid pass.

Following Moise's assassination, which authorities have alleged was carried out by a group of largely Colombian mercenaries and Haitian accomplices, Prime Minister Henry said officials would aim to hold elections for a new president as soon as possible.

Red Cross paramedics carry a girl who was injured during the earthquake ( REUTERS)

However, reports earlier this week suggested that the vote initially earmarked for September would not take place until November, and the chaos unleashed by Saturday's natural disaster is likely to make the task of prompt elections harder still.

The quake send tremors traveling as far as Jamaica and Cuba, and countries in the region quickly offered help to Haiti.

"I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning. Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover and rebuild," said U.S. President Joe Biden.

People search through the rubble of what used to be the Manguier Hotel in Les Cayes ( AFP via Getty Images)

Long racked by political instability, Haitians have also suffered at the hands of international aid efforts and peace-keeping deployments during the past decade.

A sexual misconduct scandal centering on Oxfam International blighted the record of charity workers in Haiti, while a cholera outbreak linked to UN peacekeepers led to thousands of deaths.

Writing on Twitter, tennis star Naomi Osaka, whose father's family are from Haiti, expressed her sorrow about the latest quake, saying she would give all the prize money she won at a tournament next week to the relief efforts.

"I know our ancestors blood is strong," she said, "we'll keep rising."

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