Death toll in massive Haiti earthquake jumps to 724, says government

Heavy damage was reported in the centre of the city of Jeremie, home to around 200,000 people

The death toll in Haiti’s powerful earthquake jumped to over 700 on Sunday as crews desperately dug through collapsed buildings for survivors in the Caribbean nation still reeling from its president’s assassination. At least 724 people were killed in the 7.2-magnitude tremor that struck Saturday about 160 kilometers to the west of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince, which was devastated in a massive 2010 quake. Churches, businesses, schools and homes crumbled in Saturday’s quake that trapped hundreds of victims under rubble and left at least 2,800 people injured, the country’s civil protection agency said in an update.