A 7.0-magnitude quake which hit south of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is feared to have killed hundreds of people across the Caribbean country.

In the space of a minute, Haiti's worst quake in two centuries wrecked the HQ of the UN mission, the national palace and numerous other buildings.

A "large number" of UN personnel were reported missing by the organisation.

Describing it as a "catastrophe", Haiti's envoy to the US said the cost of the damage could run into billions.

The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude.

The tremor hit at 1653 (2153 GMT), the US Geological Survey said. Phone lines to the country failed shortly afterwards.

Aid workers and reporters at the scene estimated the number of dead to be in the hundreds or even thousands.

Vehicles ferrying the injured to hospital were hampered by rubble blocking the capital's streets.


I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement
Rachmani Domersant
operations manager, Food for the Poor



Bodies, white with dust, could be seen piled on the back of a pick-up truck.

As night fell, Rachmani Domersant, an operations manager with the Food for the Poor charity, told Reuters: "The whole city is in darkness.

"You have thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go. There are people running, crying, screaming."

Adding that he had seen no rescue vehicles in the hillside suburb of Petionville, he said: "People are trying to dig victims out with flashlights.

"I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement."

As the poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti is likely to need international aid in order to cope with the quake's impact, the BBC's Nick Davies reports from neighbouring Jamaica.

'Three million affected'

In a statement issued in New York, the UN said that its local HQ in Haiti had "sustained serious damage along with other UN installations" and "a large number" of personnel were missing.


EYEWITNESS
Carel Pedre, TV and radio presenter, Port-au-Prince
I saw a lot of people crying for help, a lot of buildings collapsed, a lot of car damage, a lot of people without help, people bleeding.

I saw a movie theatre, a supermarket, a cybercafe, an apartment building which collapsed.

Now it's dark outside, there is no electricity, all the phone networks are down, so there's no way that people can get in touch with their family and friends.

There are aftershocks every 15 to 20 minutes. They last from three to five seconds. The first shock was really strong, people were falling in the streets and buildings collapsed.

I didn't see any emergency services, the people at the neighbourhood were trying to help each other.

The streets are narrow and there is lot of traffic and everyone is trying to reach family and friends. Traffic now is really difficult. People don't know where to go or where to start.
Eyewitness: 'Blood all over them'

UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said it was unclear how many people had been inside the building.

The UN's stabilisation mission plays a vital role in ensuring security in Haiti.

Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the US, said the presidential palace, the tax office, the ministry of commerce and the foreign ministry had all been damaged, but the airport was intact.

He and Haiti's ambassador to Mexico, Robert Manuel, both said that President Rene Preval and his wife had survived the quake.

The World Bank, which said its local offices were destroyed but that most staff were accounted for, planned to send a team to help Haiti assess damage and plan a recovery, Reuters reported.

Mike Blanpied of the US Geological Survey said that, based on the location and size of the quake, about three million people would have been severely shaken by its impact.

"This quake occurred under land as opposed to off-shore, so a lot of people were directly exposed to the shaking coming off that earthquake fault, which was quite shallow," he told the BBC.

US President Barack Obama said in a statement that his "thoughts and prayers" were with the people of Haiti and America stood ready to assist them.

'Rubble and wire'

In the minutes after the quake, Henry Bahn, a visiting official from the US Department of Agriculture, said he had seen houses which had tumbled into a ravine.




"Everybody is just totally, totally freaked out and shaken," said Mr Bahn, who described the sky as "just grey with dust".

He said he had been walking to his hotel room when the ground began to shake.

"I just held on and bounced across the wall," he said.

"I just hear a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance."

He said rocks were strewn all over the place, and the ravine was "just full of collapsed walls and rubble and barbed wire".

BBC News website readers in the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti on the island of Hispaniola, said they had also felt the quake.

"My family is on the 8th floor of a tower in downtown Santo Domingo," wrote Max Levine.

"We felt a swaying of the building for 5-10 seconds. All the lamps were swinging. There was a 20-second pause and then another similar sway. We rushed out of the building with many others to the street."

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, a tsunami watch was put out for Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas, but this was later lifted.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8455629.stm

*shocked*

sad.

Not a lot of coverage though- I wonder why.

lord have mercy.

[img]http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2010/01/13/haiti-man-wide-RTR28T87.jpg[/img]
A man trapped in rubble at the Port-au-Prince University calls for help following the deadly earthquake in Haiti.

[size=19pt]Haiti quake could affect 3 million[/size]

Shattered communication systems in Haiti made it impossible to determine the number of casualties from this week's devastating earthquake, but an International Red Cross official estimated Wednesday that three million people could have been affected.

Paul Conneally said Wednesday it would take a day or two to get a clear picture of the number of dead and injured, as well as the damage.

Scores of people lay in the streets of a devastated Port-au-Prince early Wednesday morning as aid groups around the world prepared to provide disaster relief.

Simon Schorno, a spokesman with the International Committee of the Red Cross, told The Associated Press that finding and rescuing survivors will be a priority, and aid workers will also help hospitals cope with casualties and establish clean water sources.

He said the 7.0 magnitude quake had caused "massive destruction in all the main neighbourhoods" of Port-au-Prince.

"Haitian Red Cross staff are trying to do what they can but are completely overwhelmed, so there's no structured response at this point."

Officials feared hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people were killed in the quake, but could not estimate a death toll. Thousands of homes had been damaged and destroyed in the impoverished country.

Both the National Palace and the headquarters of United Nations peacekeepers collapsed. Haiti’s ambassador to Mexico, Robert Manuel, said Haitian President Rene Preval and his wife survived the earthquake, the strongest to hit the country in more than 200 years.

But French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Hedi Annabi, the head of the UN mission in Haiti, appeared to have been killed at the headquarters. It was also reported that eight Chinese, four Brazilian and three Jordanian peacekeepers were killed.

Canadians at UN mission
At least 55 Canadians, including 50 police officers from Montreal, were serving with the UN.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday night he could not confirm any Canadian casualties, although 6,000 Canadian citizens live in the Caribbean country.

Worldwide relief efforts began in earnest, with countries pledging to provide aid, including rescue workers, doctors and supplies.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada "stands ready to provide any necessary assistance to the people of Haiti during this time of need."

Government officials are also considering whether to deploy the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) — Canada's team of 200 Canadian Forces personnel, which provides help to areas affected by disaster for up to 40 days.

The quake struck at 4:53 p.m., centred 16 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince at a depth of eight kilometres, the U.S. Geological Survey said. USGS geophysicist Kristin Marano called it the strongest earthquake since 1770 in what is now Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola.

The temblor appeared to have occurred along a strike-slip fault, where one side of a vertical fault slips horizontally past the other, said Tom Jordan, a quake expert at the University of Southern California. The quake's power and proximity to Port-au-Prince likely caused widespread casualties and structural damage, he said.

"It's going to be a real killer," he said.

Most of Haiti's nine million people are desperately poor, and after years of political instability, the country has no basic construction standards.

Tuesday's quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, but no major damage was reported. In eastern Cuba, houses shook, but there appeared to be no significant damage.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/01/13/haiti-earthquake.html

[img]http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2010/01/13/haiti-man-wide-RTR28T87.jpg[/img]
A man trapped in rubble at the Port-au-Prince University calls for help following
the deadly earthquake in Haiti.

[size=19pt]Haiti quake could affect 3 million[/size]

Shattered communication systems in Haiti made it impossible to determine the number of casualties from this week's devastating earthquake, but an International Red Cross official estimated Wednesday that three million people could have been affected.

Paul Conneally said Wednesday it would take a day or two to get a clear picture of the number of dead and injured, as well as the damage.

Scores of people lay in the streets of a devastated Port-au-Prince early Wednesday morning as aid groups around the world prepared to provide disaster relief.

Simon Schorno, a spokesman with the International Committee of the Red Cross, told The Associated Press that finding and rescuing survivors will be a priority, and aid workers will also help hospitals cope with casualties and establish clean water sources.

He said the 7.0 magnitude quake had caused "massive destruction in all the main neighbourhoods" of Port-au-Prince.

"Haitian Red Cross staff are trying to do what they can but are completely overwhelmed, so there's no structured response at this point."

Officials feared hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people were killed in the quake, but could not estimate a death toll. Thousands of homes had been damaged and destroyed in the impoverished country.

Both the National Palace and the headquarters of United Nations peacekeepers collapsed. Haiti’s ambassador to Mexico, Robert Manuel, said Haitian President Rene Preval and his wife survived the earthquake, the strongest to hit the country in more than 200 years.

But French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Hedi Annabi, the head of the UN mission in Haiti, appeared to have been killed at the headquarters. It was also reported that eight Chinese, four Brazilian and three Jordanian peacekeepers were killed.

Canadians at UN mission
At least 55 Canadians, including 50 police officers from Montreal, were serving with the UN.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday night he could not confirm any Canadian casualties, although 6,000 Canadian citizens live in the Caribbean country.

Worldwide relief efforts began in earnest, with countries pledging to provide aid, including rescue workers, doctors and supplies.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada "stands ready to provide any necessary assistance to the people of Haiti during this time of need."

Government officials are also considering whether to deploy the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) — Canada's team of 200 Canadian Forces personnel, which provides help to areas affected by disaster for up to 40 days.

The quake struck at 4:53 p.m., centred 16 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince at a depth of eight kilometres, the U.S. Geological Survey said. USGS geophysicist Kristin Marano called it the strongest earthquake since 1770 in what is now Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola.

The temblor appeared to have occurred along a strike-slip fault, where one side of a vertical fault slips horizontally past the other, said Tom Jordan, a quake expert at the University of Southern California. The quake's power and proximity to Port-au-Prince likely caused widespread casualties and structural damage, he said.

"It's going to be a real killer," he said.

Most of Haiti's nine million people are desperately poor, and after years of political instability, the country has no basic construction standards.

Tuesday's quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, but no major damage was reported. In eastern Cuba, houses shook, but there appeared to be no significant damage.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/01/13/haiti-earthquake.html

my condolence go to all people of haiti.

there's relatively so little publicity about this- puzzling.

May God in heaven help these people. From world rejection insurjency, poverty to natural disaster. Haitians you need prayers oooooooooooo.

the news is all over cnn and bbc. you wud be moved to tears as u hear people lament about loved ones gone incommunicado. how wud i feel if this had happened in saudi arabia near king faisal hospital?

God help dem,

this is serious

Oh no ,Lord Have Mercy!!

that's one poor country. they don't even have fire service.

9000 policemen for a country of millions!!!

Very sad R.I.P

Horrrrible!!!!!!
Haiti Earthquahe--Like the KATRINA HURRICANE that hit New Orleans---Both (Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and New Orleans, Louisiana) both have something in common, VOODOO!!

Is there a link between these NATURAL DISASTERS and their wicked certain traditions---or just coincidence??

I'm just wondering--

Approved1:

Horrrrible!!!!!!
Haiti Earthquahe--Like the KATRINA HURRICANE that hit New Orleans---Both (Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and New Orleans, Louisiana) both have something in common, VOODOO!!

Is there a link between these NATURAL DISASTERS and their wicked traditions---or just coincidence??

people like you and pat robertson (who claimed God punished new orleans for immorality) are idiots.

this is a natural disaster that has nothing to do with voodoo. it's funny how eastern religions are considered "wicked' traditions.

Uhmmmm
I guess that might be so.
But its hell down there.

My condolences to Haitians.

 

i heard their presidential villa was also affected. god help them/ pls

Fine-- cutting off people's body parts and selling them for rituals may not be wicked to YOU, doing spells for the purpose of controlling someone else's life, fortune, and destiny may not seem like wickedness to YOU-- but many others would beg to differ.

Haiti was hit by 4 major hurricanes in 3 weeks time just over a year ago---- I'm just wondering if this degree of annihilation is linked at all to certain practices-- just makes one wonder.

I pray for the souls of those that are dead and gone and for those that made it through the troubles i wish them speedy recovery, It's a very serious earth quake , very terrifying

Thank you GOD for blessing us with this wonderful creation called Earthquake. . . . You're too good baba. . .

My condolence to the Haitians
Trapped
A woman is covered in rubble in Port-au-Prince. The massive earthquake rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation.

[url]http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1953257_2023474,00.html#ixzz0cW5OvHEn[/url]

Residents sleep in the street after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

[url]http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1953257_2023567,00.html#ixzz0cW7LlAQv[/url]

I heard. . . .it's so sad, considering how poor the country already is. Obama is supposedly trying to assist 'em. Way to go!

Hope this doesn't become Nigeria's portion. Nothing worse than adding to the country's problems. But then Haiti is an island, right? They're more susceptible to these things. No where is safe these days. Sigh.

My Condolence,, This is a SAD news man,,

Approved1:

Fine-- cutting off people's body parts and selling them for rituals may not be wicked to YOU, doing spells for the purpose of controlling someone else's life, fortune, and destiny may not seem like wickedness to YOU-- but many others would beg to differ.

Haiti was hit by 4 major hurricanes in 3 weeks time just over a year ago---- I'm just wondering if this degree of annihilation is linked at all to certain practices-- just makes one wonder.

umm haiti is in the Caribbean.  hurricane season happens yearly in the Caribbean so that's nothing special (except its a category F5 hurricane).  haiti lines above a fault line.  I do not support human sacrifices and all that but its silly to think GOD somehow killed over 100 thousand people to send them a "lesson".  I guess the children and animals killed deserved to get the lesson too. nonsense.

this earthquake could have easily happened in a place like california.

chiogo:

I heard. . . .it's so sad, considering how poor the country already is. Obama is supposedly trying to assist 'em. Way to go!

Hope this doesn't become Nigeria's portion. Nothing worse than adding to the country's problems. But then Haiti is an island, right? They're more susceptible to these things. No where is safe these days. Sigh.

its not only poor but an overcrowded island.

@Bawa---


I NEVER ever ever ever said GOD did this to these people. Read my post.

((I wonder why people who believe there is a God- do frequently forget there is a devil as well.))

I know God is not the author of confusion.

GOSH!!! THIS PPLE DON SUFFER OOO, MAY GOD HELP THEM!!