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At Least 11 Dead, More Than 100 Injured in Haiti Quake

by Reuters

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI --

   An earthquake hit northern Haiti late Saturday, killing at least 11
   people and sparking an overnight scramble to help towns in the
   impoverished Caribbean country battered by the shockwave.

   Police said at least seven people died and more than 100 were injured
   in Port-de-Paix on the northern coast near the epicenter of the
   magnitude 5.9 quake, which struck at a depth of 11.7 kilometers (7.3
   miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

   Another four people were killed in and around the town of Gros-Morne
   further south, local authorities said. Rescue teams fanned out to help
   residents, many of whom were still dealing with the trauma of a
   devastating earthquake in 2010.

   President urges calm

   Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, the town of Chansolme and the northern island
   of Tortuga were among the areas worst hit, Haiti's civil protection
   agency said in a statement.

   "The shock was felt across all departments of the country, giving rise
   to panic in several towns," the agency said.

   President Jovenel Moise urged people to remain calm, and said on
   Twitter he had ordered "all of the republic's resources" to be directed
   toward assisting recovery efforts.

   Some houses in the worst-affected areas were destroyed by the
   earthquake, the agency said.

   Dozens of injured people were rushed to hospitals, and the full extent
   of the destruction may not be clear until Sunday morning.

   The civil protection agency said early Sunday that at least 135 people
   were being treated for injuries.

   Among the damaged buildings was a church in the northern town of
   Plaisance, the agency said.

   Strongest tremor since 2010

   The tremor was one of the strongest to batter Haiti since the 7.0
   magnitude earthquake struck near the capital, Port-au-Prince, in 2010.
   It killed tens of thousands of people.

   Saturday's quake was felt in Port-au-Prince but initial reports
   suggested it had not caused major damage there.

   Local newspaper Le Nouvelliste said one person was killed when an
   auditorium collapsed in Gros-Morne and that detainees were released
   from a damaged police holding cell.