An injured Brazilian soldier is greeted by his family after arrived at a military airbase in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Jan. 15, 2010. Injured soldiers of the Brazilian peacekeeping force to Haiti were sent back to their country. (Xinhua/AE) Photo Gallery>>>

    RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim confirmed on Friday the deaths of at least 17 Brazilian citizens in an 7.0-magnitude earthquake which devastated Haiti on Tuesday.

    According to the minister, 14 of those dead are military personnel who were part of the United Nations' mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and three others are civilians. Among them was physician Zilda Arns, founder of one of the most important humanitarian projects in Brazil, the Pastoral Care of the Child.

    The names of the two other civilians were not released, but one of them is likely to be UN official Luiz Carlos da Costa.

Injured Brazilian soldier arrive at a military airbase in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Jan. 15, 2010.(Xinhua/AE) Photo Gallery>>>

    The minister also said that the four Brazilian military personnel that are still missing are most likely dead, since they were reportedly at the Christopher Hotel, which was completely destroyed by the earthquake.

    Minister Jobim returned home on Friday morning from a visit to Haiti on Wednesday. The minister was sent by the Brazilian government to assess the damage caused by the earthquake and determine the best strategy for Brazil to help the Caribbean country.

    Jobim also said that the bodies of the Brazilian military personnel who died in the earthquake are to arrive in Brazil on Sunday, at the latest. Zilda Arns' body has been returned to the country aboard the minister's plane and her funeral will start later on Friday at Curitiba, her hometown. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has already confirmed his presence on Arns' funeral. 

Brazilian soldier arrive at a military airbase in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Jan. 15, 2010.(Xinhua/AE) Photo Gallery>>>

Number of Brazilian military died in Haiti rises to 14

BRASILIA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The number of Brazilian soldiers who died as a result of the earthquake that hit Port au Prince, Haiti's capital, on Tuesday rose to 14, according to a statement released Thursday by Brazil's Ministry of Defense.

Four officers remain unaccounted for, and 14 were injured -- two will be returned to Brazil and another two have been hospitalized in the Dominican Republic, neighboring Haiti, the statement added. Full story

Brazilian gov't mourn over death of humanitarian worker in Haiti earthquake

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim gestures during a press conference in Brasilia, Jan. 13, 2010. The Brazilian government announced on Wednesday that its financial aid to be granted to Haiti to help the reconstruction after Tuesday's disastrous earthquake will reach 15 million U.S. dollars.(Xinhua/Radiobras) Photo Gallery>>>

    RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government on Wednesday mourned over the death of Zilda Arns, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee who was killed on a humanitarian mission in Haiti by the devastating earthquake Tuesday. Full story

Earthquake crushes thousands of buildings in Haiti

    SANTO DOMINGO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A major earthquake rocked Haiti on Tuesday, crushing thousands of buildings, including the presidential palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters, and trapping untold numbers of people in the rubble of the capital city.

    The devastation from the magnitude-7.3 quake, the strongest ever recorded on the poor Caribbean island, was so complete that it seemed likely the death toll would run into the thousands, according to reports monitored here. Full story

"Scale of catastrophe in Haiti is very high," says UN peacekeeping chief   

    UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations deals with humanitarian crises all the time but the devastating earthquake in Haiti has stricken especially close to home, said the head of UN peacekeeping forces Alain Le Roy here Wednesday.

    With the number of fatalities among UN staff members rising, LeRoy said the emotion is "extremely high." Full story