Death toll surpasses 1,000 in Haiti

The death toll in Haiti from Tropical Storm Jeanne rose to more than 1,000 Wednesday while emergency food aid was distributed to thousands of people who were made homeless in the deadly storm.

Jeanne has killed 1,008 in the Artibonite region around the northern coastal city of Gonaives and 72 in the Northwest province,said Carl Cantave, a government official.

The final death toll is likely to hit 2,000 as at least 1,000 people are still missing, he added.

Government workers and UN peacekeepers were burying hundreds of flood victims in mass graves to avert an outbreak of epidemic diseases.

Eight helicopters from a Brazilian-led UN peacekeeping force shuttled water, food and other supplies to Gonaives on Tuesday after Chilean troops found the main road to the area impassable, said Argentine Lt. Col. Gaston Irigoyen.

The World Food Program (WFP)'s first convoy of trucks carrying 40 tons of food arrived Tuesday night and aid agencies were distributing rice, beans, cooking oil and bread Wednesday.

"At this point we think at least 175,000 people were affected across the country. Many of them were already very vulnerable and now, they have lost their homes, their entire crops, their animals and the few belongings they had," said the WFP country director Guy Gauvreau.

The International Red Cross on Wednesday launched a worldwide appeal for 3.3 million US dollars to help the flood victims.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with a population of 8 million, is chronically vulnerable to flooding because of widespread deforestation in the countryside. Flooding in May killed about 2,000 people.

Several nations are sending aid, including 1.8 million dollars from the European Union, a ton of humanitarian relief from Brazil,tons of humanitarian aid from Spain and 20 tons of blankets and medicines from Chile.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the aid will be flown to Haiti on Thursday. Brazil has led the international peaceforces deployed in Haiti since former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in February following a three-week civil tumult.

Chile, which has deployed 600 soldiers in Haiti, said it would send a plane with humanitarian aid to Haiti and Jamaica on Friday.Jamaica was also hit by tropical storms last week.

The US embassy in Haiti announced 60,000 dollars in emergent aid on Monday but it drew criticism from US legislator Kendrick Meek, a Democrat from Florida who called it "a drop in the bucket."

Spain will send two planes of humanitarian aid to Haiti and Grenade, which was devastated by Hurricane Ivan last week. Spain also promised to deliver 300,000 dollars in aid to Jamaica.

Source: Xinhua