Help from EU and other nations pours in after Haiti’s capital is devastated by powerful earthquake

Most of Haiti’s capital was destroyed in a powerful earthquake that struck just miles away from the city, killing an unknown number of people and creating a small tsunami that struck the coastline of the Dominican Republic, officials and witnesses said. Reports of catastrophic damage in Haiti are coming in, but there are no reports of damage from the Dominican Republic.The earthquake happened around 4.53 p.m. local time and had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0, according to the United States Geological Survey, making it the strongest earthquake ever recorded within 200 kilometers. It struck about 10 miles southwest of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake is described as “major” and can cause serious damage over larger areas, especially in poor regions with poor construction of buildings. Because the earthquake had a depth of only 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), there is a greater chance of severe damage.

Nearly 10 minutes later, at 5.01 p.m. local time, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck about 30 miles away from the epicenter of the first tremor. A spokeswoman for the United States Geological Survey said a second aftershock struck minutes later, at 5.12 p.m. local time, and had a preliminary magnitude of 5.5.

A group of experts in disaster response, health in emergency and logistics will arrive in Haiti later today to support the Haitian Red Cross in the relief efforts and to begin to coordinate international assistance from members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as well as other organizations.In addition, a Red Cross team will lead a damage assessment together with the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Union.

Spain will coordinate European Union aid to the victims of Haiti's devastating earthquake, sources of the cooperation secretary of state's office said Wednesday. Spain holds the rotating EU presidency until June 30. Eighteen Spanish rescue specialists were also preparing to travel to the Caribbean country on Wednesday.

They included eight members of Firefighters Without Frontiers and 10 members of the non-governmental organization Intervencion, Ayuda y Emergencias. The specialists will bring seven sniffer dogs.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy learned “with horror and deep emotion” of the news, his office said in a statement. In response to the earthquake, Sarkozy ordered to urgently dispatch rescue teams to participate in rescue operations for local people and help locate missing French citizens. His office did not specify how many French citizens were missing.

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