Death Toll Rises in Haiti Quake to 150,000

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (Catholic Online) - The Haitian government says the confirmed death toll from the massive earthquake that devastated the capital nearly two weeks ago has risen to 150,000.

Officials said Sunday the number does not include outlying areas such as Jacmel, where many other bodies are believed to be buried under rubble.

Authorities have estimated that the final toll will reach 200,000.

The government officially called off search and rescue operations on Friday, but international rescue teams pulled a man from the rubble of a grocery store in Port-au-Prince on Saturday.

Tim Callahan, an official with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said Sunday search and rescue is winding down even as some teams continue operations.

Officials say there have been no major outbreaks of disease so far, but cases of pink-eye, skin rashes and diarrhea have been noted. Officials say food, water, shelter and health care are the most pressing needs.

Aid agencies said food and water deliveries are reaching more people, but are still short of meeting the needs of the survivors.

On Sunday, U.S. and Brazilian soldiers handed out food and water to thousands of residents in the capital's gang ridden slum of Cite Soliel.

Rajiv Shah, the head of USAID, told Reuters news agency the disaster is "unparalleled" and his organization is "never going to meet the need as quickly as we'd like."

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