11 killed in Haiti quake

At least 11 people were killed after an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale jolted northwestern Haiti, authorities said on Sunday.

According to the US Geological Survey, the tremor's epicentre was recorded 20 km from Port-de-Pai at a depth of 15.3 km at 8.11 p.m. on Saturday, reports Efe news.

According to a statement from the country's Civil Protection agency, several people were injured in Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, Chansolme and Tortuga island, where houses were destroyed or damaged.

Haitian Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant took to Twitter to urge people to remain calm following the earthquake and provide details on the emergency response.

"Following the earthquake on Saturday, the President has instructed me to immediately put together a crisis committee to coordinate the emergency response," Ceant said on Twitter.

Shortly after the earthquake, President Jovenel Moise urged the population to remain calm, adding that the risk management system and regional civil protection directorates were on alert to help residents of affected areas where access was difficult due to poor infrastructure.

Civil Protection also reported in its statement that teams were working throughout the country, especially in the northwest where two minor aftershocks have been recorded.

The earthquake was felt in the Haitian capital as well as in neighbouring Dominican Republic.

On January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered a devastating magnitude-7 earthquake which killed more than 300,000 people and destroyed much of the capital Port-au-Prince.

--IANS

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