20 killed in New York limo crash

Shock was felt across the country giving rise to panic in several towns

Site of accident a notoriously dangerous spot that officials had tried to fix in the past without success |

An earthquake hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, killing at least 11 people and sparking an overnight scramble to help towns in the impoverished Caribbean country battered by the shock wave.

Police said at least seven people died and more than 100 were injured in Port-dePaix on the northern coast near the epicentre of the magnitude 5.9 quake, which struck at a depth of 11.7 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey.

Another four people were killed in and around the town of Gros-Morne further south, local authorities said. Rescue teams fanned out to help residents, many of whom were still dealing with the trauma of a devastating earthquake in 2010.

Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, the town of Chansolme and the northern island of Tortuga were among the areas worst hit, Haiti’s civil protection agency said in a statement.

“The shock was felt across all departments of the country, giving rise to panic in several towns,” the agency said.

Call for calm

President Jovenel Moise urged people to remain calm, and said on Twitter he had ordered “all of the republic’s resources” to be directed towards assisting recovery efforts.

Some houses in the worstaffected areas were destroyed by the earthquake, the agency said.

Dozens of injured people were rushed to hospitals, and the full extent of the destruction was not yet clear as of yesterday morning.

The civil protection agency said early yesterday that at least 135 people were being treated for injuries.