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Haiti Quake Victim Rescue Operation Declared Over PDF Print E-mail
Saturday, 23 January 2010 13:59

Haiti's government has made the "heartbreaking" decision to declare the search and rescue phase for survivors of the earthquake over, the UN says. The announcement came a day after two people, an 84-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man, were pulled alive from the rubble in Port-au-Prince.

The UN spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs says 132 people have been rescued since the earthquake 11 days ago.

On Friday the official government death toll from the quake rose to 110,000.

Speaking in Geneva, Ms Byrs said that the decision to end the rescue operation was "heartbreaking" but that it had been taken on the advice of experts.

She said most search and rescue teams would now be leaving Haiti, although some with heavy lifting equipment may stay to help with the clean-up operation and with aid distribution.

She said that humanitarian relief efforts were still being scaled up in Port-au-Prince, as well as in the towns of Jacmel, Leogane and other areas affected by the earthquake.

Although two people were pulled out alive on Friday, it is believed rescue teams have detected no new signs of life under the rubble for the last three days, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.

At least 75,000 bodies have so far been buried in mass graves, Haiti's government has said. Many more remain uncollected in the streets.

An estimated 1.5 million people were left homeless by the 7.0-magnitude quake, which some have estimated has killed as many as 200,000 people.-BBC

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