The 7.2-magnitude quake hit the west of the country on Saturday morning, toppling and damaging buildings including churches and hotels.
The prime minister said there was extensive damage and declared a month-long state of emergency.
It will be recalled that Haiti is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake.
US Geological Survey (USGS) said that the epicenter of Saturday’s quake was about 12km (7.5 miles) from the town of Saint-Louis du Sud.
The tremor was felt in the densely populated capital of Port-au-Prince, some 125km away, and in neighboring countries.
An eyewitness said that lots of homes are destroyed, people are dead and some are at the hospital.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry also said he had mobilized a team to work on the relief effort as the most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble. He also said that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people.
US President Joe Biden has authorized an immediate US response to help Haiti and said USAID would work to support efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild.
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