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The quake's impact

Haiti’s most powerful earthquake in a century

On 12 January 2010, a 7.3 earthquake - the most powerful to hit Haiti in a 100 years - struck shortly before 5 p.m. and was centered about (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince. The epicenter was in Carrefour and the affected area is the West Province. The quake was quickly followed by several strong aftershocks from 5.9 to 5.0 magnitude.

Buildings have either sustained massive damage or collapsed altogether, including Haitian institutional sites and Government buildings, schools, hospitals and homes.

Many United Nations and international organisations buildings have also been affected, including UNICEF.

Because of the severe damage including to communications, there is no way to be certain of the actual numbers of people killed, wounded, trapped, missing or homeless. Initial assessments however suggest that at least one in 3 people in Haiti are affected by the disaster, while national reports indicate some 100,000 people could have died.

Almost half of Haiti’s population of around 10 million are infants and children below age 18 years old.

Despite heavy damage to its own offices in Port-au-Prince, UNICEF is ready to provide immediate support to child survivors of this unfolding humanitarian crisis.

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