海地遭7级强震 总统府坍塌

据太子港海地当地记者报道，海地在12日发生7.0级强烈地震后，海地总统府、财政部和文化和交通部目前都受到了地震影响，当地通讯和电力供应受到严重影响。

Hundreds of people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake rocked Haiti, causing massive damage across the country.

The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks.

据BBC当地记者Nick Davies报道，感觉大地剧烈摇动了将近1分钟。他看到当地人利用简单的工具，甚至徒手从废墟中抢救废墟中的伤员。

美国总统奥巴马对地震遇害者深表哀悼，并表示美国将全力提供援助。美洲开发银行将向海地提供20万美元紧急援助款。目前海地国际机场尚能正常运行。

海地是加勒比海地震多发国家，但此次7.3级是16年以来最大的一次。海地人口约900万人，由于多年战乱，政局不稳，国家基础设施落后，大多数房屋都达不到抗震要求。据美国南加州大学教授汤姆乔丹估计此次地震将造成大量人员死亡。

A 7.0-magnitude quake which hit south of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is feared to have killed hundreds of people across the Caribbean country.

In the space of a minute, Haiti's worst quake in two centuries wrecked the HQ of the UN mission, the presidential palace and numerous other buildings.

A "large number" of UN personnel were reported missing by the organisation.

The capital is now said to be in total darkness with many people sleeping outside amid fear of more aftershocks.

Describing the earthquake as a "catastrophe", Haiti's envoy to the US said the cost of the damage could run into billions.

A number of nations, including the US, UK and Venezuela, are gearing up to send aid.

As night fell, Rachmani Domersant, an operations manager with the Food for the Poor charity, told Reuters: "The whole city is in darkness. You have thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go. There are people running, crying, screaming."

Adding that he had seen no rescue vehicles in the hillside suburb of Petionville, he said: "People are trying to dig victims out with flashlights. I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement."

A French official told AFP news agency about 200 people were missing in the collapsed Hotel Montana, which is popular with tourists.

There have also been some reports of looting overnight.

Earlier, bodies white with dust could be seen piled on the back of a pick-up truck as vehicles tried to ferry the injured to hospital.

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has suffered a number of recent disasters, including four hurricanes and storms in 2008 that killed hundreds.

'Three million affected'

In a statement issued in New York, the UN said that its local HQ in Haiti had "sustained serious damage along with other UN installations" and "a large number" of personnel were missing.
The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude.

The tremor hit at 1653 (2153 GMT), the US Geological Survey said. Phone lines to the country failed shortly afterwards.

Aid workers and reporters at the scene estimated the number of dead to be in the hundreds or even thousands.