A 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Saturday shook the Caribbean nation, killing over 2,000 people and bringing Haiti to ‘its knees.’

Qatar has expressed its solidarity with Haiti as the nation faces the devastating effects of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the country last Saturday.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed Qatar’s support for Haiti and the Gulf state’s full readiness to provide help necessary for Haiti to recover from the massive earthquake.

Qatar expressed its condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Haiti on the victims of the earthquake.

The earthquake has caused widespread destruction in the Caribbean country, killing almost 2,200 people across Haiti and injuring thousands more. An unknown number of people are still missing.

Hurricane Grace, which hit Haiti as a tropical storm, has also hindered the rescue process, with heavy rains that have caused mudslides and blocked roads, making the location of those buried by the earthquake even more difficult to reach.

Saturday’s quake levelled more than 60,000 homes and damaged 76,000 more, leaving Haitians homeless and living in temporary shelters. However, rains and landslides from Grace have washed away the shelters.

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“Hospitals in Les Cayes, Jeremie and in Baradere are overwhelmed and require human resources, emergency support, medicine and supplies,” said Director of the Pan American Health Organisation Carissa Etienne.

Haiti is still reeling from the 2010 earthquake that killed over 200,000 people. According to UNCIEF, around 1.2 million people, including 540,000 children, have been impacted by the earthquake.

“Flooding and mudslides are likely to worsen the situation of vulnerable families and further complicate the humanitarian response,” said the humanitarian aid agency.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said that the quake had left Haiti “on its knees.” “The earthquake that devastated a large part of the south of the country proves once again our limits, and how fragile we are,” added Henry.

The quake comes just weeks after squad of gunmen assassinated Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse, propelling the Caribbean nation into a state of emergency and furthering political unrest in the country.

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