LES CAYES, Haiti (AP) — The death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti has climbed sharply, with at least 724 dead and a minimum of 2,800 injured.

The updated figures Sunday from Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection follow a previous count of 304 dead.

People in the impoverished nation's southwest are racing to rescue survivors ahead of the expected arrival of a tropical storm with torrential rains, and the threat of flooding and mudslides.

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The disaster added to the plight of Haitians, who already were struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, deepening poverty and a presidential assassination.

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