海地7.3級地震首都幾成廢墟
據太子港海地當地記者報道，海地在12日發生7.0級強烈地震後，海地總統府、財政部和文化和交通部目前都受到了地震影響，當地通訊和電力供應受到嚴重影響。
據BBC當地記者Nick Davies報道，感覺大地劇烈搖動了將近1分鐘。他看到當地人利用簡單的工具，甚至徒手從廢墟中搶救廢墟中的傷員。
美國總統奧巴馬對地震遇害者深表哀悼，並表示美國將全力提供援助。美洲開發銀行將向海地提供20萬美元緊急援助款。目前海地國際機場尚能正常運行。
海地是加勒比海地震多發國家，但此次7.3級是16年以來最大的一次。海地人口約900萬人，由於多年戰亂，政局不穩，國家基礎設施落後，大多數房屋都達不到抗震要求。據美國南加州大學教授湯姆喬丹估計此次地震將造成大量人員死亡。
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。
A 7.0-magnitude quake which hit south of the Haitian capitalPort-au-Prince is feared to have killed hundreds of people across theCaribbean country。
In the space of a minute, Haiti’s worst quake in two centurieswrecked the HQ of the UN mission, the presidential palace and numerousother 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 indarkness. 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 missingin 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 apick-up truck as vehicles tried to ferry the injured to hospital。
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and hassuffered a number of recent disasters, including four hurricanes andstorms in 2008 that killed hundreds。
Three million affected
In a statement issued in New York, the UN said that its local HQ inHaiti had "sustained serious damage along with other UN installations"and "a large number" of personnel were missing。
The quake, whichstruck 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。
