According to the Miami Herald:
Photo sourceA powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck near the capital of Haiti Tuesday afternoon, crippling the impoverished island nation and knocking out most of its communication with the outside world.
There were no fatalities reported as the aftershocks continued into the night, but there were growing, alarming reports of mass destruction -- a hospital was reported to have collapsed and people were heard screaming for help.
Sections of the National Palace have crumbled and there were reports of injuries. The United Nations building may have also been severely damaged, along with a local university.
``There are people injured in the palace,'' said Fritz Longchamp, executive director of the palace. ``I'm calling for help and medical assistance for them.''
Haitian President René Préval and the First Lady have sought safe haven on the island, The Miami Herald has learned.
Part of the road to Canape Vert, a suburb of the capital city of Port-au-Prince, has collapsed, as have houses perched in the mountains of Petionville, where the quake was centered. Petionville is a suburb some 10 miles up from downtown from Port-au-Prince.
Several aftershocks have followed the main 4:53 p.m. earthquake, according to The Associated Press.
A tsunami alert was briefly issued for the region and a blanket of dust completely covered the city for about 10 minutes, USAID contract employee Mike Godfrey told CNN from Port-au-Prince.
``At this point I'm frustrated trying to find colleagues and staff,'' Godfrey said. ``Phones are not working . . . I see some traffic, a little traffic on some of the routes,'' he said.
Raymond Alcide Joseph, the country's ambassador to the United States, told CNN that the quake has crippled his country.
``I spoke to a government official on the island who I reached on his cell phone and he told me: ``Tell the world this is a catastrophe of major proportions.''
International aid worker Gregory Van Schoyock of the Haitian-American Friendship Foundation, a Christian non-profit, who spoke to CNN from outside Port-au-Prince via Skype, said: ``The ground was pitching and that went on for several minutes,'' he said, reporting the capital cut off from the rest of the country. ``The cell phones are out and there's absolutely no contact.''
President Barack Obama is said to be monitoring the situation in Haiti, The White House said and the state department is working to confirm the safety of its personnel at the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince
Read the full story from the Miami Herald HERE.
