LA County Fire Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 2 prepares for possible deployment to Haiti at the California Task Force 2 warehouse in the Pacoima section of Los Angeles, on Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010

This image released by the US Geological Survey shows a shake map of the Haiti Region processed Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

Damage to the Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince, Haiti is shown on Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010

This May 20, 2004 provided by the Canadian Department of National Defence shows the Presidential Palace in Port au Prince, Haiti

Anthony Guarino, a seismic analyst at the Caltech Seismological Laboratory, shows the 7.0 earthquake peak from the Haiti earthquake at the laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

This photo provided by Carel Pedre shows people running past rubble of a damaged building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

People carry an injured person after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

A damaged building is seen after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

In this photo taken from the Web site twitter.com, people gather in the streets in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 after the largest earthquake ever recorded in Haiti

Injured people are tended to at Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010

A man carries an injured child outside Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

An injured child sits on the sidewalk in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (AP/Ricardo Arduengo)

A victim of the massive earthquake in Haiti on a street in Port-au-Prince

US evangelist Pat Robertson said Haiti was 'cursed' due to a voodoo 'pact with the devil' (PA)

As the world mourns for Haiti US evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson has described the earthquake as "a blessing in disguise" and claimed the country has been "cursed" because of what he called a "pact with the devil" in its history.

His spokesman said the comments were based on Voodoo rituals carried out before a slave rebellion against French colonists in 1791.

"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it," Robertson said during a broadcast.

"They (Haitians) were under the heel of the French ... and they got together and swore a pact to the devil.

"They said 'We will serve you' ... and so, the devil said 'Okay, it's a deal' and kicked the French out."

But spokesman Chris Roslan insisted that Robertson never stated that Tuesday's earthquake was God's wrath.

He said Robertson's Operation Blessing group was sending millions of dollars in medication and relief workers to the impoverished island nation.

Robertson has angered opponents many times before with comments on current events and criticism of other faiths.

He once declared that American agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for withdrawing from the Gaza Strip.

Video: Earthquake was 'blessing in disguise'

PA