Haiti quake death toll 230,000; expected to rise

Haiti's government raised the death toll for the Jan. 12 earthquake to 230,000 Tuesday - the same death toll as in the 2004 Asian tsunami. Communications Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue said she expects the toll to rise as more bodies are counted, and noted the number does not include bodies buried privately by funeral homes or families.

The government declared Friday, Feb. 12, a public holiday to give the nation a chance to mourn and "pay homage to the innumerable victims of the earthquake, many buried in anonymity." - AP