Rescue and Aid

At least 26 Latin American UN peacekeepers die in Haiti

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-20 19:27

MEXICO CITY: Latin America has paid a heavy price in Haiti's earthquake, accounting for 26 of the 47 UN staff killed, for whom UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led a ceremony on Tuesday.

The 26 Latin Americans included 19 Brazilians, one each from Argentina, Guatemala, Chile, Uruguay and Peru and two Haitians, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah) said Tuesday.

Special coverage:
At least 26 Latin American UN peacekeepers die in Haiti

Haiti Earthquake Special Coverage

Related readings:
At least 26 Latin American UN peacekeepers die in Haiti

UN: China 'remarkably efficient' in Haiti aid
At least 26 Latin American UN peacekeepers die in Haiti

Bodies of Jordanian peacekeepers killed in Haiti arrive in Amman
At least 26 Latin American UN peacekeepers die in Haiti

More US troops, UN peacekeepers expected for Haiti

According to the UN mission, 12 Latin American countries have sent peacekeeping troops and police officers to work for Minustah, which currently has some 7,000 troops, 2,000 police officers and 2,000 civilian personnel.

Brazil, which has been leading the mission, had 1,266 peacekeepers in Haiti before the earthquake, the Brazilian government said Monday, adding that it might double the staff to 2,600.

Uruguay had 1,163 people working in Haiti, among whom a lieutenant colonel was confirmed dead in last Tuesday's earthquake.

Argentina despatched 550 peacekeeping staff to Haiti, and beside the one found dead among debris in the quake-destroyed UN building, all were reported in good condition.

The 200 Peruvian soldiers in Haiti were also reported in good health.

The UN Security Council endorsed on Tuesday a proposal to send 3,500 more peacekeepers to Haiti to support "the immediate recovery, reconstruction and stability efforts," as the Haitian government raised the death toll to at least 75,000.