Rescue efforts continue in Haiti as doctors race to treat the injured

In Haiti over the weekend, relief workers and civilians continued to save people trapped under collapsed buildings. After more than four days buried under debris, aid workers pulled out the owner of the Hotel Montana, one of the most elite hotels in the city, built on a hillside overlooking Port Au Prince. On Friday, an 18-month old was rescued by an Australian TV crew.

The child’s parents reportedly died. Meanwhile, some are using twitter to get out information about people still trapped under buildings – including Haitian radio DJ Carel Pedre. A tweet Monday afternoon reported, "a lot of students and teachers still alive under the debris of GOC University in Nazon."

Meanwhile, medical personell continue to try to treat survivors before they die of their injuries. Dr. Jennifer Ashton is with the United Nations. She said they are still getting new patients with various injuries from crushed bones and fractures to gang greene and sepsis, when the bloodstream is infected by bacteria.

“There are approximately 200 patients here now, fifty percent women, thirty percent children. Probably thirty percent of them are in critical condition. There are a lot of new patients coming in today. It’s even busier than yesterday. I can’t tell you how many doctors and nurses are here because there’s not really a uniform system in place to keep track of medical personnel. There are people leaving, going back to Miami on a steady basis, but there are also doctors and nurses coming in from Miami on a steady basis.”

Many of those being treated for injuries have nowhere to go. Vladimir Viki lived in the Mont Nasa neighborhood. He said he was playing cards when the quake hit.

[translated into english] “My home, I can't remember my home. I live in the second floor. The house on the third floor suddenly fell down, I saw it. That's why I can't remember my house. My wife died. But two day's later my brother found out my daughter was buried under the house. And she was alive. This is a miracle.”

As more bodies are discovered in the ruins, family members and aid workers are struggling to account for and bury the dead. There’s a severe lack of body bags, and people have covered the deceased in the streets with anything they can find, including plastic bags and sheets. Health experts are concerned that the growing numbers of unburied bodies poses Haiti’s next disaster as disease starts to spread.