Death toll up to 94 in Haiti school collapse
PETIONVILLE, Haiti - US, French, and Haitian firefighters used sonar, cameras, and dogs yesterday in the search for victims at a collapsed Haitian school, but as the stench of death rose from the wreckage, they no longer expected to find anyone else alive.
Three days after the concrete building suddenly collapsed during a children's party, killing at least 94 students and adults and severely injuring 150 more, Captain Michael Istvan of Fairfax County, Va., said the chance of more survivors was remote. He also said the death toll probably won't go much higher.
Several bodies were pulled out yesterday, caked in concrete dust, and radar and cameras located several more.
But there have been no indications of survivors since four children were pulled from the wreckage Saturday morning, said Daniel Vigee, head of a Martinique-based French rescue team.
Rescuers were probing spots where neighbors said they heard voices or received cellphone calls from trapped survivors, without success.
Finally, before dawn yesterday, they opened up new areas to search by tearing down a two-story-high concrete slab that had been hanging precariously since the collapse.
Istvan's firefighters were flown in by the US Agency for International Development, and an eight-person military team from the US Southern Command also helped.
They had warned that removing the wall could be too dangerous to rescuers and potential survivors, but Haitians removed it anyway using handheld power tools as hopes dimmed.
It was unclear how many people were in the building when it collapsed, though the school is believed to have had about 500 students.
ASSOCIATED PRESS 