This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/8455629.stm
The article has changed 27 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Powerful quake off Haitian coast | Powerful quake off Haitian coast |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A powerful, magnitude 7.3 earthquake off the Haitian coast has rocked the capital and sparked a tsunami alert for states in the immediate vicinity. | A powerful, magnitude 7.3 earthquake off the Haitian coast has rocked the capital and sparked a tsunami alert for states in the immediate vicinity. |
| Eyewitnesses in Port-au-Prince told the Associated Press a hospital and other buildings had collapsed and people were calling for help. | Eyewitnesses in Port-au-Prince told the Associated Press a hospital and other buildings had collapsed and people were calling for help. |
| A visiting US official told the agency the sky was "just grey with dust" and he could hear distant screaming. | A visiting US official told the agency the sky was "just grey with dust" and he could hear distant screaming. |
| The impoverished state has been plagued by natural disasters. | The impoverished state has been plagued by natural disasters. |
| I just hear a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance Henry Bahn US Department of Agriculture official, visiting Haiti | |
| Tuesday afternoon's earthquake was centred about 15km (10m) south-west of Port-au-Prince, according to the US Geological Survey. | Tuesday afternoon's earthquake was centred about 15km (10m) south-west of Port-au-Prince, according to the US Geological Survey. |
| It was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. | It was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. |
| The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was the possibility of a local tsunami that could affect "coasts located usually no more than a 100km [60 miles] from the earthquake epicentre". | The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was the possibility of a local tsunami that could affect "coasts located usually no more than a 100km [60 miles] from the earthquake epicentre". |
| A tsunami watch was in effect for Haiti, the neighbouring Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas. | A tsunami watch was in effect for Haiti, the neighbouring Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas. |
| 'Rubble and wire' | |
| An AP cameraman saw the wrecked hospital in Petionville, a hilly suburb of the capital, and Henry Bahn, a visiting official from the US Department of Agriculture, said he had seen houses which had tumbled into a ravine. | |
| HAITI 10 million peopleHistory of violence, instability and dictatorshipDemocratic rule restored in 2006Economy in ruins and unemployment is chronicUN peacekeepers deployed - foreign aid seen as vital | |
| "Everybody is just totally, totally freaked out and shaken," said Mr Bahn. | |
| He had, he continued, been walking to his hotel room when the ground began to shake. | |
| "I just held on and bounced across the wall," he said. | |
| "I just hear a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance." | |
| Rocks, he added, were strewn all over the place, and the ravine where several homes had fallen in was "just full of collapsed walls and rubble and barbed wire". | |
| Have you been affected by the earthquake? If you have any information you wish to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: | Have you been affected by the earthquake? If you have any information you wish to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: |
| You can send pictures and video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or if you have a large file you can click here to upload. | You can send pictures and video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or if you have a large file you can click here to upload. |
| Click here to see terms and conditions | Click here to see terms and conditions |
| At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |
| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |