2008 Pétion-Ville school collapse
Date | Friday, November 7, 2008 |
---|---|
Time | 10:00 am EST |
Location | Pétion-Ville, Haiti |
Coordinates | 18°30′58″N 72°16′59″W / 18.516°N 72.283°W |
Casualties | |
94 dead | |
150+ injured |
The Pétion-Ville school collapse occurred on November 7, 2008, in Pétion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, when the church-operated Collège La Promesse Évangélique ("The Evangelical Promise School")[1] collapsed at around 10:00 a.m.[2] local time (15:00 GMT). About 700 students from kindergarten through high school attended the school; however, it is unclear how many were in the three-story building when it collapsed.[3] At least 93 people, mostly children, were confirmed killed, and over 150 injured.[4] At least 35 students, 13 girls and 22 boys, were rescued from the rubble alive on November 8.[5]
Collapse
During the collapse, the first floor of the school buckled under, and the second and third floors of the building came down upon it. The collapse also destroyed several nearby homes.[6][7] However, only the first and second floors were filled with students,[6] and some students were in the playground area.[8] The cause of the collapse remains officially unstated, but residents of the town have said they suspect poor-quality construction as a cause.[6]
The school had previously experienced a partial collapse in 2000, but it was rebuilt.[3] After the first collapse, neighbors living downhill from the school abandoned their property out of fear that the building would fall onto their homes. The owner of the church-run school attempted to buy these vacated properties. In addition, the third floor of the building was under construction at the time of the 2008 collapse.[9]
After the collapse, at least 200 people were seen at hospitals in and around Port-au-Prince.
Arrest
College La Promesse school owner, Rev. Fortin Augustin, Protestant minister and preacher, was arrested on November 8, 2008. He was charged with
Reaction and rescue operations
Haiti's neighbor, the
Related incidents
Only five days after the Pétion-Ville school disaster, portions of
Further reading
The school collapse is recounted in the prologue of
References
- ^ a b news.xinhuanet.com, Death toll in Haitian school collapse rises to 92
- ^ a b "50 dead in Haitian grade-school collapse". AFP. 2008-11-08. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ a b Katz, Jonathan M. (2008-11-07). "Death toll in Haiti school collapse rises to 30". AP. Retrieved 2008-11-08.[dead link]
- ^ Beaumont, Peter (2008-11-09). "Haiti school collapse: 200 feared missing". London: The Observer. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ www.reuters.com, Death toll passes 90 in Haiti school collapse
- ^ a b c "Deadly school collapse in Haiti". BBC. 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ "84 killed, 150 injured in Haitian school collapse". Associated Press. 2008-11-09. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ a b c "Rescue continues into the night after Haiti school collapses". CNN. 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ a b c Katz, Jonathan (2008-11-07). "Death toll in Haiti school collapse rises to 30". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-11-07.[dead link]
- ^ edition.cnn.com, Death toll climbs as search continues in Haiti collapse
- ^ canadianpress.google.com, Owner of collapsed Haiti school arrested[dead link]
- ^ "macaunews.net, Haiti school owner in custody". Archived from the original on 2009-01-04. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "50 dead in Haitian grade-school collapse". Agence France-Presse. 2008-11-08. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ "USAID Responds Immediately to Haitian School Collapse". Wall Street Journal. 2008-11-07. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ gmanews.tv/story, RP troops helping in rescue work in Haiti building collapse
- ^ "Second school collapses in Haiti". CNN. 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2008-12-08.