Strong aftershock hits Haiti as international rescue work continues

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- A 6.1-magnitude aftershock hit Haiti's already devastated capital here early Wednesday as international search and rescue teams continued their work in the quake-shaken country.

A powerful aftershock hits Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince at 6:03 a.m. local time (1103 GMT) on early Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010. The quake measured 6.1 on the Richter scale, and its epicenter is about 60 km west of the capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

The aftershock, the most powerful since the Jan. 12 earthquake, hit Port-au-Prince at 6:03 a.m. local time (1103 GMT). Its epicenter was about 60 km west of the capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There is no report of casualties or damage yet.

One week after the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, a massive international aid effort is underway as 43 search and rescue teams continue their work.

So far, 90 people had been pulled alive from the rubble, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday, noting "rapid progress" despite logistical difficulties.

Paralysed transport, mountainous geography, and the collapse of infrastructure and telecommunications have prevented aid from quickly reaching the victims.

Blockages on key roads still hamper the distribution of humanitarian aid and the Caribbean nation's only airport, in Port-au-Prince, is working at full capacity, with 100 flights landing a day.

"We're doing our best to get as many flights in as possible," said U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Alejandro Wolff.

Only 18 aircraft can be parked in the area at a time and U.S. troops, which now run the facility, ordered it closed at one point last week because there was no more room.

Delivering food has proved extraordinarily tricky. Out of a total of roughly 3 million affected Haitians, the World Food Program was feeding 200,000 people, a figure expected to climb to 1 million by the end of the week, Ban said.