Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

10,000 US Troops Head to Haiti

Force aims to help keep the peace, aid relief effort

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 18, 2010 3:27 AM CST
Email

(Newser) – Some 10,000 new US troops are heading to Haiti to aid relief efforts and help calm a desperate nation spinning out of control. Ransacking of Port-au-Prince stores and homes mounted as looters were being lynched by crowds and shot dead by police. "Haitians are taking things into their own hands," said a witness. "There are no jails, the criminal are running free." President Rene Preval said the 2,000 city police officers were overwhelmed by 3,000 "bandits" who had escaped from prison. "This gives you an idea of how bad the situation is," he said.

Other conflicts were driven by sheer desperation. On a ruined street, six young men ripped pipes off walls to suck out water. "This is very bad, but I am too thirsty," one told the Telegraph. There were also reports of starving Haitians fighting each other with machetes over packages of food dropped by a helicopter. UN President Ban Ki-Moon appealed to Haitians to hang on as authorities struggle to get aid through, calling the relief effort a "huge challenge."

People battle for food and supplices in collapsed stores in Port-au-Prince.
People battle for food and supplices in collapsed stores in Port-au-Prince.   (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People, one holding up a knife, fight yesterday for goods from collapsed stores in Port-au-Prince.
People, one holding up a knife, fight yesterday for goods from collapsed stores in Port-au-Prince.   (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
28%
6%
44%
6%
11%
6%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
GeminiMishy
Jan 18, 2010 4:49 AM CST
I cannot begin to imagine how bad this must be for those who live there right now. Conditions were poor before the earthquake. Now look at the way things are going. I pray things get better and fast. I will continue to donate what I can as long as I have and they need.

 
United Nations • Haiti • US troops • lynching • looting • earthquake • Ban Ki-moon • earthquake haiti death toll

More Newser Stories

150 UN Haiti Staffers Missing in Rubble

Amid Tragedy, Haiti Readies for Vote

Armed Group Attacks Haiti Food Convoy

6.1 Quake Shakes Haiti, 72K Bodies Buried

Voodoo Priests Object to Mass Burials
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne