On January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake hit the Caribbean island of Haiti. It was the worst earthquake Haiti has had in 200 years. This devastating earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter Scale. There was major damage done to Port-au-Prince, the capital city; the many schools, finance buildings, and public offices also have varying damage. There was a lot of damage done to the control tower at Toussaint Le'Ouverture Airport, as well as a major seaport in Port-au-Prince.
The Haiti Interior Minister has estimated there may be as many as 200,000 deaths as a result of the earthquake. It is believed that a number of public officials are among the casualties, and three U.N officials were killed in the earthquake as well. The earthquake affected many places in and surrounding Haiti, such as Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Les Cayes, Haiti; Cap-Haitien, Haiti; and Miami, Florida. The initial earthquake was followed by thirteen aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 5.0 on the Richter Scale. On January 20, 2010, 8 days after the earthquake, the largest after shock, having a magnitude of 5.9, hit Haiti, just 35 miles shy of Port-au-Prince.
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