Haiti confirms at least 1,297 people Dead from a powerful earthquake

Officials in Haiti have confirmed at least 1,297 people Dead after a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Caribbean nation on Saturday.

Rescuers are picking through rabble in a desperate search for any survivors.

Homes, churches, and schools were among buildings flattened in the quake.

Some hospitals were left overwhelmed and in need of supplies. An unknown number of people are missing and about 5,700 have been injured.

The disaster compounds problems facing the impoverished nation which is already wailing from a political crisis following the assassination of its president last month.