A major earthquake struck western Haiti on Saturday, likely causing high casualties and widespread disaster, the US Geological Survey said, and sending shock waves across the Caribbean, where people fled their homes for fear they might collapse.
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck 8km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10km, the USGS said.
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That made the earthquake potentially bigger and shallower than the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Haiti 11 years ago.
The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami warning after the quake, lifting it shortly thereafter, although Haitian media outlets reported some people along the coast had already fled to the mountains.
