Haitian Cardinal injured after earthquake destroys his residence / Dr. Fonie Pierre, CRS/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Les Cayes, Haiti, Aug 14, 2021 / 12:41 pm (CNA).

Speaking to our news agency in Spanish ACI Prensa, Akim Rikonda, Director for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Haiti said that Cardinal Langlois “is hurt, but his life is not in danger.” Langlois, 62, was created the first Haitian cardinal by Pope Francis on February 22nd 2014.

“CRS has spoken with the priestly residence in Les Cayes and we have reports that the house has been severely damaged. Unfortunately, we were informed of three fatalities, one priest and two employees,” Rikonda said.

Rikonda also reported to ACI Prensa that “all of CRS personnel are safe and sound, but unfortunately one of our employees’ wife died and his baby is gravely injured.”

The earthquake happened at 8:30 a.m. (local time,) affecting all the country, but especially the region of Les Cayes, in the Southwestern region of Haiti.

Rikonda also said that the local public hospital has been overwhelmed by the number of emergencies, and is turning away most of the injured.

“We are currently evaluating the extent of the damage… Once we have a full evaluation of the injured, dead and affected, we will proceed to provide emergency services, especially to the poorest and most vulnerable people.”