Scots dad tells of moment Haiti earthquake hit
Banker says ‘I’m one of the luckiest men alive’
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HAITI officials today estimated 200,000 people had been killed in the island’s earthquake as a Scots survivor described the moment the disaster hit.
Figures today suggest 1.5 million have been left homeless as 2,000 US Marines arrived in Haiti.
And the Scots businessman, of Nairn, who survived the earthquake said he was one of the “luckiest men alive”.
Alistair Cameron, pictured was on the island working for the International Finance Corporation, a private sector arm of the World Bank, when the quake hit.
The 60-year-old said: “I was stopped in a traffic jam when suddenly the world changed.
“We were shaken around, bouncing around in the car.”
The banker, who had been travelling with a French colleague, added: “I had experienced an earthquake before, but not of this severity.
“We realised our car would be no protection, so we got out after a while. People were staggering around because they couldn’t keep their balance – falling down, getting up.”
After the tremor, Mr Cameron and his colleague were forced to spend the night outdoors.
The following day, the pair who had lost their passports in the disaster headed to the airport and a chance meeting with the British ambassador to the Dominican Republic meant Mr Cameron was able to fly home.
After overhearing his Scottish accent, the diplomat arranged for a temporary passport. The father of two, who has now returned home, said the horrific scenes of death and destruction he witnessed in Haiti was only starting to sink in.
The latest casualty report from the European Commission, which uses Haitian government data, said about 200,000 people had perished in the disaster
