Seconds when an earthquake happens Haiti

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said on its website that a magnitude 7.0 quake struck about 10 miles from the nation’s capital Port-au-Prince.

An Associated Press cameraman reported the collapse of a hospital, but there were no immediate casualty or damage reports.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, according to its website, put a tsunami warning out for Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The warning was not in effect for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

“Everybody is just totally, totally freaked out and shaken,” Henry Bahn, a visiting official with the US Department of Agriculture, told the Associated Press. “The sky is just grey with dust. … I just hear a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance.”

The quake was followed within the hour by two powerful aftershocks of magnitude 5.9 and magnitude 5.5.

USGS analyst Dale Grant told the AP that today’s temblor is "the largest quake recorded in this area.” The last was a 6.7 magnitude quake in 1984.

The earthquake had a depth of five miles, and the USGS said damage and casualties could be substantial. Losses could wreak havoc on Haiti, which is the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, with 70 percent of the population living on less than $2 a day.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti," President Obama said in a statement.

Former President Clinton, named special United Nations envoy to the Caribbean nation, has been trying to woo investors and tourists back back to the nation, which shares Hispaniola Island with the Dominican Republic.

Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the US, called the earthquake a “major disaster” on CNN and said the country will seek US assistance.

Worldwide, at least 1,783 were killed in earthquakes in 2009. The deadliest occurred in southern Sumatra, Indonesia, with 1,117 killed when the 7.5 magnitude quake hit on Sept. 30, according to the USGS and the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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