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| US rushes troops to Haiti quake | US rushes troops to Haiti quake |
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| The US is sending up to 3,500 soldiers and 2,200 marines to Haiti to help rescue efforts in the wake of the devastating earthquake. | The US is sending up to 3,500 soldiers and 2,200 marines to Haiti to help rescue efforts in the wake of the devastating earthquake. |
| President Barack Obama pledged one of the biggest relief efforts in recent US history and said Haiti would "not be forgotten" in its hour of need. | President Barack Obama pledged one of the biggest relief efforts in recent US history and said Haiti would "not be forgotten" in its hour of need. |
| The search for survivors continues but rescuers lack heavy lifting equipment and many are using their bare hands. | The search for survivors continues but rescuers lack heavy lifting equipment and many are using their bare hands. |
| Tens of thousands of people are feared dead and up to three million affected. | Tens of thousands of people are feared dead and up to three million affected. |
| BBC correspondents say the situation is increasingly desperate, with aid only trickling in. | BBC correspondents say the situation is increasingly desperate, with aid only trickling in. |
| President Obama: 'Search and rescue teams are actively working to save lives' | President Obama: 'Search and rescue teams are actively working to save lives' |
| Mr Obama confirmed that some US rescuers were already working on the ground in Haiti. | Mr Obama confirmed that some US rescuers were already working on the ground in Haiti. |
| Speaking in Washington, he promised the country "every element of our national capacity, our diplomacy, and development assistance, the power of our military and most importantly, the compassion of our country" following the disaster. | Speaking in Washington, he promised the country "every element of our national capacity, our diplomacy, and development assistance, the power of our military and most importantly, the compassion of our country" following the disaster. |
| "To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction, you will not be forsaken, you will not be forgotten," he said. | "To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction, you will not be forsaken, you will not be forgotten," he said. |
| He said US forces had secured Haiti's airport, allowing it to receive round-the-clock deliveries of aid and equipment. However he warned it would take time for much-needed help to reach people. | |
| Mr Obama also promised an immediate $100m for Haiti's relief effort and said that investment would grow over the coming year to aid long-term recovery. | |
| AT THE SCENE Matthew Price, BBC News, Haiti It is clear that many who were brought to L'Hopital de la Paix in Port-au-Prince with injuries have since died here. One man with tears in his eyes pointed to his young daughter lying on the dirty tiled floor. | AT THE SCENE Matthew Price, BBC News, Haiti It is clear that many who were brought to L'Hopital de la Paix in Port-au-Prince with injuries have since died here. One man with tears in his eyes pointed to his young daughter lying on the dirty tiled floor. |
| She has two broken legs and a large gash in her head. Her sister is already dead. "Ca va?" her father asks. "Oui," she replies softly, but she is not okay. In pockets, there is barely anything left of this city and so far the people are largely having to cope on their own. Sleeping among the dead | She has two broken legs and a large gash in her head. Her sister is already dead. "Ca va?" her father asks. "Oui," she replies softly, but she is not okay. In pockets, there is barely anything left of this city and so far the people are largely having to cope on their own. Sleeping among the dead |
| The first 100-strong contingent from the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division is expected to arrive in Haiti by the end of Thursday, with several hundred more due by Friday. | The first 100-strong contingent from the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division is expected to arrive in Haiti by the end of Thursday, with several hundred more due by Friday. |
| The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier will arrive on Thursday. The USS Bataan, carrying a marine expeditionary unit, is also on its way. | |
| The US forces will join Haitians and international search and rescue teams already on the ground. | |
| Aid groups say it is a race against time to find survivors under the rubble of the collapsed buildings - the first priority of the rescue effort. | |
| Heavy lifting gear and sniffer dogs are desperately needed to seek out and free trapped victims. Medicine, food and water are in short supply. | Heavy lifting gear and sniffer dogs are desperately needed to seek out and free trapped victims. Medicine, food and water are in short supply. |
| Elisabeth Byrs, of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said: "The priority is to find survivors. We are working against the clock." | Elisabeth Byrs, of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said: "The priority is to find survivors. We are working against the clock." |
| We just don't know what to do. You can see how terrible the damage is. We have not been able to get into all the areas Chilean UN peacekeeper LIVE: Haiti quake Devastated capital Haiti: How to help Big picture: Haiti from the air | We just don't know what to do. You can see how terrible the damage is. We have not been able to get into all the areas Chilean UN peacekeeper LIVE: Haiti quake Devastated capital Haiti: How to help Big picture: Haiti from the air |
| The head of Medecins du Monde, Olivier Bernard, told AFP news agency that aid had to arrive by Thursday evening. | The head of Medecins du Monde, Olivier Bernard, told AFP news agency that aid had to arrive by Thursday evening. |
| "To save lives, surgery must be available ideally within the first 48 hours," he said. | "To save lives, surgery must be available ideally within the first 48 hours," he said. |
| Doctor's assistant Jimitre Coquillon told Associated Press: "This is much worse than a hurricane. There's no water. There's nothing. Thirsty people are going to die." | Doctor's assistant Jimitre Coquillon told Associated Press: "This is much worse than a hurricane. There's no water. There's nothing. Thirsty people are going to die." |
| UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it could be days before even an estimate of the death toll from the earthquake could be made, but said he feared it would be "very high". | |
| He said 150 UN staff remained unaccounted for following the collapse of the UN headquarters building in Port-au-Prince and that 22 UN military and police personnel were now confirmed dead. | |
| On a note of hope, he recounted the survival of an Estonian UN official who was detected under 4m (13ft) of rubble after scratching noises were heard. He was dug out and is now in hospital. | |
| 'Massive scale' | |
| A few US aid planes and a 50-strong Chinese rescue team with sniffer dogs have landed at the airport serving the capital, Port-au-Prince. | A few US aid planes and a 50-strong Chinese rescue team with sniffer dogs have landed at the airport serving the capital, Port-au-Prince. |
| Other plane-loads of rescuers and relief supplies are on the way from the EU, Canada, Russia and Latin American nations. | Other plane-loads of rescuers and relief supplies are on the way from the EU, Canada, Russia and Latin American nations. |
| A British rescue team with heavy lifting gear and dogs has landed in the Dominican Republic and will be in Haiti later on Thursday. | A British rescue team with heavy lifting gear and dogs has landed in the Dominican Republic and will be in Haiti later on Thursday. |
| UK International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said: "This is a tragedy on a massive scale. Britain is playing its part in the huge international response." | UK International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said: "This is a tragedy on a massive scale. Britain is playing its part in the huge international response." |
| href="/nol/shared/bsp/hi/inspector_gadget/10/haiti/img/984x1236.jpg">To magnify this image of Port-au-Prince mouse over the left-hand panel | |
| US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cancelled a trip to Asia to deal with the crisis. She said there were tens of thousands of casualties in Haiti and that tens of thousands of buildings had collapsed. | US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cancelled a trip to Asia to deal with the crisis. She said there were tens of thousands of casualties in Haiti and that tens of thousands of buildings had collapsed. |
| "This is going to be a long-term effort," she said. | "This is going to be a long-term effort," she said. |
| Her husband, Bill Clinton, the UN special envoy for Haiti, told the Washington Post the quake was "one of the great humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas". | Her husband, Bill Clinton, the UN special envoy for Haiti, told the Washington Post the quake was "one of the great humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas". |
| The World Bank is funding $100m of emergency aid. | The World Bank is funding $100m of emergency aid. |
| The World Food Programme is working on supplying 15,000 tonnes of food and the Red Cross has begun a $10m appeal. | The World Food Programme is working on supplying 15,000 tonnes of food and the Red Cross has begun a $10m appeal. |
| The help is desperately needed as there is no co-ordinated rescue at present. | The help is desperately needed as there is no co-ordinated rescue at present. |