Major quake rocks Haiti, many nations ready with assistance

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A major earthquake rocked Haiti on Tuesday and "catastrophic" casualties were feared although no official reports are currently available.

The magnitude-7.0 quake, the strongest ever recorded in the area, collapsed a hospital in a hillside district of Port-au-Prince, according to local media reports.

The presidential palace, buildings of the finance and public works ministries, the parliament building and a cathedral in Port-au-Prince were also damaged.

The earthquake struck at about 4:53 p.m. local time (2153 GMT) and was centered 15 km southwest of the capital city, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake was relative shallow with its focus at a depth of only 10 km, said the USGS. It said the earthquake was followed by a tsunami seven minutes later and two aftershocks of 5.9-and 5.5-degrees respectively.

Power supplies were cut off in affected areas and communications were interrupted.

Many buildings were damaged, and frightened people could be seen in the streets -- many were searching for their families and relatives from under the rubbles with bare hands, witnesses said.

"I think it's really a catastrophe of major proportions," Haiti's ambassador to the United States, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told Cable News Network.

The United Nations on Tuesday night confirmed that the Headquarters of the UN Mission in Haiti was seriously damaged along with other UN installations and "a large number of personnel remain unaccounted for."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "very concerned" for the people of Haiti and also for many UN staff who serve in the country, a UN statement said here Tuesday.

"At this time of tragedy, I am very concerned for the people of Haiti and also for the many United Nations staff who serve there," the secretary-general said. "I am receiving initial reports and following developments closely."

The earthquake was also felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares the Espanola Island with Haiti.

The Dominican Republic has asked for assistance to Haiti.

"The information we have is that the situation in Haiti is difficult, so we ask Latin America and all the world to help our neighbor," said Dominican Republic presidential office spokesman Frafael Nunez.