"Jeanne" claims at least 556 lives in Haiti

Tropical Storm Jeanne claimed at least 556 lives in Haiti after it rampaged across parts of the country over the weekend, the United Nations Stabilization Missionin Haiti announced on Monday.

More than 500 people were killed in northern city Gonaives in storm-triggered floods, said Toussaint Kongo-Doudou, a spokesman for the UN mission, adding the figure is expected to rise as the water goes down.

In the northwestern town of Port de Paix, another 56 people were killed, he said.

The Haitian authorities have declared the entire flood zone a disaster area, after Jeanne devastated the island of Hispaniola onFriday and Saturday, leaving 80 percent of Gonaives under water.

On Saturday, floods tore through Gonaives and surrounding areas,forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes. Some families spent nights on their flat roofs, while others slept on car hoods.

Jeanne also killed 18 in the Dominican Republic and seven in Puerto Rico.

According to the latest statistics, Jeanne regained hurricane strength over the open Atlantic east of the Bahamas, posing no apparent threat to land and heading away from the mainland United States.

Source: Xinhua