President sends condolences after Haitian disaster |14 January 2010

The text of Mr Michel’s message reads:

“It was with great sadness that we learned of the loss of many lives and extensive material damage caused by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake which struck off the coast of Haiti.

“In the wake of this terrible tragedy, the government and the people of Seychelles join me in expressing our heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences to you, to the government and to the people of Haiti, as well as to the families of the victims.

“Although continents apart, our peoples have kindred spirits through the common sharing of the Creole language. As you struggle to reconcile the shocking incident with your extreme development challenges, we are reminded of our own experience with the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.

“We wish all the relief agencies every success in their efforts to remedy this catastrophic situation and we assure you, excellency, of our solidarity in this trying period.”

The earthquake started at 5pm on Tuesday (2am yesterday in Seychelles) and its epicentre was only 16 kilometres from the capital, Port-au-Prince. The shock waves toppled the presidential palace and hillside shanty homes alike.

Reports on casualties and damage have been slow to emerge, but a representative of the Catholic Relief Services based in the country said the death toll could be in the thousands.

Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, lacks emergency staff and heavy equipment to move debris and is appealing to the world for immediate relief aid.