Caribbean Football Union vice-president Captain Horace Burrell in a report to Concacaf boss and Fifa vice-president Jack Warner has confimed that 30 members of the Haitian Football Federation perished in last Tuesday's 7.0 earthquake in Port-au-Prince and dozens remain unaccounted for. Burrell, visited the devastated island on Sunday on the advice of Warner and his detailed report depicted the grim realities which now face not only the island's football federation but the people of Haiti.
In the report Burrell said: "I was met at the airport by an injured President Dr Yves Jean Bart (president of the Haitian Football Federation). His injuries and bandages remain stark reminders of his narrow escape from the crumbling building following the earthquake. President Jean Bart, explained that he and other members of the executive committee were meeting at the time of the quake and he was the only survivor. Said Burrell: "As we travelled down what now remains of the major highway, the buildings that line the roadways are but crumbled shells of their previous incarnations, not even a hint of their previous grandeur can be seen.
"None is a truer reflection of this statement than the federation's headquarters. "Once a three story magnanimous structure, all that remains is a concrete slab. The stench of death is present everywhere on this island. As we looked at the ruins, I saw three decomposing bodies, visibly mangled in the rubble. "All that it would take is proper equipment to free the bodies, to allow their families the courtesy of a proper funeral. But many on this island have been robbed of that courtesy."
President Jean Bart confirmed that 30 members of the federation are dead. Twenty bodies remain mangled beneath the headquarters. Among the dead were administrators, referees, coaches–including the HFF's most experienced coach who recently coached the Under-17 team in the World Cup Tournament in Korea– medical personnel, players and office staff.