The 2010 Haitian earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake. Its epicentre was near Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010, at a depth of 13 km (8.1 miles). The United States Geological Survey recorded a series of at least 33 aftershocks, 14 of which were between magnitudes 5.0 and 5.9. The International Red Cross estimated that about three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Interior Minister, Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé, anticipated on 15 January that the disaster would eventually claim between 100,000 and 200,000 lives.
The earthquake caused major damage to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region. Many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace (President René Préval, who was in the building at the time, escaped injury), the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. Among those killed were the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, Justice Minister Paul Denis and opposition leader Michel Gaillard. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi.
Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. Communication systems, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts; confusion over who was in charge, air traffic congestion, and problems with prioritisation of flights further complicated early relief work. Port-au-Prince's morgues were quickly overwhelmed; the Haitian government announced on 21 January that over 80,000 bodies had been buried in mass graves. As rescues tailed off, supplies, medical care and sanitation became priorities. Delays in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors, and some looting and sporadic violence was observed.
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The earthquake struck in the most populated area of the country; estimates of the number of dead increased from 45,000 shortly after the earthquake to 200,000 six days later. The day after the earthquake the International Red Cross estimated that as many as 3 million people had been affected by the quake.
The Haitian government reported that nearly 70,000 bodies had been recovered by official crews. Some reports indicated 250,000 people sustained injuries, and as many as one million Haitians were left homeless.Experts caution that any final death toll will be a "guesstimate" as the scale of the disaster makes an accurate tally impossible.
Among the dead were several public figures including government officials, clergy members, and musicians, and foreign civilians and military personnel working with the United Nations. Those killed include Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, aid worker Zilda Arns, officials in the Haitian government, including Justice Minister Paul Denis and opposition leader Michel Gaillard, and numerous prominent Haitian musicians. The music studio Hercule, located in Pétionville, was destroyed and the studio's owner Joubert Charles, one of the most prominent promoters of music in Haiti, was killed. Thirty members of the Fédération Haïtienne de Football, some of them players, also died.
At least 70 United Nations personnel working with MINUSTAH were confirmed dead, and over 140 remained missing, presumably buried in the building rubble. Foreign tourists, aid workers and embassy staff also died.