Colombian blue helmets in Haiti unharmed

Bogota announced on Wednesday that the 26 Colombian soldiers in the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti have been located and were not injured in the earthquake that hit the Caribbean island on Tuesday.

The authorities and family members were unable to locate the Colombian soldiers for several hours after a 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti, killing hundreds and possibly thousands of people.

The soldiers will stay on the island to help local authorities distribute humanitarian aid to the victims of the severe earthquake.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is sending a search and rescue team of at least 72 people and six dogs.

Haitian communities across the US, including south Florida where an estimated 275,000 Haitians live, are also organising donations and relief efforts.

The Colombian soldiers on Haiti are part of a UN peacekeeping mission that was stalled after years of extreme violence in one of the world’s most impoverished countries.

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