A quake measuring 7 on the Richter scale destroyed a large number of homes Tuesday in Haiti and caused serious damage to public buildings including a hospital and the the Haitian presidential palace, dpa reported.
"The National Palace and the ministries of finance, labour, communications and culture suffered serious damage," Haitian television channel Haitipal reported.
One hospital collapsed in the Petion Ville residential neighbourhood on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. There were no immediate reports of the number of casualties.
"Many buildings have collapsed. Many people are looking for their relatives," Pastor Vasquez, spokesman for the Dominican embassy in Port-au-Prince, told the German Press Agency dpa.
Haitian telephone lines were out of order in the wake of the quake.
"There is big, very big chaos," Vasquez said. "Sirens are heard, people are running desperately."