WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (KUNA) -- A powerful earthquake rocked the Caribbean island of Haiti late Tuesday, with a magnitude of 7.0, causing major damage in the capital Port-au-Prince, and leading to tsunami warnings for parts of the Caribbean.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) indicated that a tsunami warning has been issued for Haiti and several nearby Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
Also, Haiti was rocked by two strong aftershocks measuring 5.9 and 5.5, according to the USGS.
In this regard, US President Barack Obama said in a statement that his "thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake." He added "We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti." The White House indicated that Obama asked his staff to "make sure that embassy personnel are safe, and to begin preparations in the event that humanitarian assistance is needed." It indicated that the Department of State, USAID and the United States Southern Command "have begun working to coordinate an assessment and any such assistance." (end).
si.tg KUNA 130911 Jan 10NNNN