Relief effort gains a foothold as troops and supplies get through

US MILITARY helicopters swooped down on Haiti’s wrecked presidential palace to deploy troops and supplies yesterday as a huge international relief operation to earthquake survivors gained momentum.

The Black Hawk helicopters disgorged US troops in combat gear who then moved to secure the Haitian capital’s main hospital, where staff have been overwhelmed by huge numbers of seriously injured patients.

Their arrival brought crowds of quake survivors camped out in the park opposite the palace rushing to its iron railings hoping for handouts of food.