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British rescuers search for missing Haiti children
21 Jan 2010British rescuers in Haiti are hopeful of finding missing children today as they search the remains of a collapsed school.
Pupils have been pulled alive from the rubble after being buried for more than a week and members of Rapid UK search team hope to find more of the estimated 100 missing children at the ruined site in the capital Port-au-Prince.
Search team member Sophie Hensley, 40, from London, said: “The chances of finding any more people alive is slim, but we think a search is worth doing.”
Among the children to be rescued are an eight-year-old boy named Kiki, who was reunited with his mother, and 15-day-old baby Elisabeth Joassaint, who spent half her life trapped in rubble in Jacmel.
Ms Hensley, a justice worker, said the latest life-saving efforts were giving her nine-strong team hope at the school.
“We don't know what we will find but it is still worth doing, even at this stage. When you hear somebody somewhere has been pulled out a child, it's just amazing. It makes it all worth while - you forget the heat, the tiredness and all the problems.”
Her colleague, Andy Read, 43, a software developer from Tunbridge Wells, said: “We don't ever give up hope. If it's not us, another team will find finding someone. It doesn't matter who it is.”
International teams have rescued more than 120 people since last Tuesday's seven-magnitude earthquake. The Haitian government says about 200,000 have died, with 80,000 buried in mass graves.
Yesterday a second tremor struck about 35 miles north-west of Port-au-Prince, collapsing more buildings and causing widespread terror among survivors.
The European Commission has raised its estimate of homeless to two million from 1.5 million and said 250,000 people needed urgent aid. Many badly injured Haitians are also still awaiting surgery.
Ms Hensley spoke of the decision to stop rescue efforts so relief workers could focus on helping survivors.
“You get to the point where the living want relief. They don't want rescue work any more — they want help, food, water and shelter. We still think it's worth checking for survivors, but at a certain point you have to look after the living.”
Of her team's 15-year earthquake experience, she said this was the worst damage they had seen: “Parts of the city are completely flattened, and there are still dead bodies lying around. They are burning tires to get rid of the smell.”
There are 11,500 American troops helping with the relief effort with 7,000 UN peacekeepers.
The Disasters Emergency Committee said British donations to its Haiti appeal had passed £31.5 million. Chief executive Brendan Gormley said: “Exactly a week on from the earthquake that hit Haiti, we continue to be stunned by the generosity of the UK public.”
The Government has also pledged £20 million and the Department for International Development said Britain would send a Royal Fleet Auxiliary supplies ship loaded with aid.
Aid agencies said they were still facing problems getting supplies to those in need and feared that the desperation for food could erupt into further violence.
One Briton is confirmed dead in the disaster, with another still missing. UN worker Frederick Wooldridge, 41, from Kent, died with dozens of his colleagues.
Another Briton — UN worker Ann Barnes, 59, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex — remains missing. Her French partner, Bruno, a Frenchman, was “clawing away on his hands and knees” alongside rescuers in the hope of finding her.
Ms Barnes's cousin Christine Hart, 69, of Hornchurch, said: “He hasn't left the site. He only went home to see what had happened to their house.”
Haiti emergency appeal
Merlin is a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee. You can donate to the DEC Haiti appeal online at www.dec.org.uk or by calling 0370 60 60 900.
For more information about Merlin's Haiti response please go to: www.merlin.org.uk or call 020 7014 1714.
