Accessibility links

Breaking News

Demolition of Haiti's Quake-Damaged National Palace Begins


Workers from U.S. actor and Haiti's ambassador-at-large Sean Penn's charity J/P HRO (J/P Haitian Relief Organization) stand in front of the collapsed cupola of the condemned National Palace in Port-au-Prince, September 07, 2012.
Workers from U.S. actor and Haiti's ambassador-at-large Sean Penn's charity J/P HRO (J/P Haitian Relief Organization) stand in front of the collapsed cupola of the condemned National Palace in Port-au-Prince, September 07, 2012.
Two and a half years after a devastating earthquake ravaged Haiti, crews have begun to demolish the National Palace.

An aid group led by Hollywood star Sean Penn on Friday began the three-month demolition task. It is not clear when the palace will be rebuilt.

The magnitude 7.0 quake on January 12, 2010 reduced dozens of government and private buildings to rubble within 25 kilometers of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. It claimed the lives of 300,000 people and left 1.5 million others homeless.

Haiti is getting help from the United States to build 5,000 homes and develop an industrial park that is expected to generate 40,000 jobs.
  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG