Death toll, public outrage rise in aftermath of Haiti school collapse

As of this writing, authorities have announced at least 94 deaths, with at least 150 more severely injured, and the likelihood of further upward estimates as excavation proceeds.

Around 700 students were enrolled at the school, although no estimates of Friday’s attendance have been released. According to statements by rescuers, no signs of life have been detected since four children were saved on Saturday morning.

The tragedy has further strained the tense social and political situation in the country. The British Guardian reported that many residents suspected rescuers of working especially slowly in order to collect more wages.

Press reports Monday related that about 100 residents, frustrated and angry over the slow pace of rescue efforts, rushed over police barricades into the rubble and began tearing away debris with their hands. The Associated Press noted, “Thousands of onlookers cheered them before Haitian police and UN peacekeepers drove them back with batons and riot shields.”

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