Quake strikes in the north-west of Caribbean island, damaging buildings, including a hospital and auditorium

An earthquake that struck off the northern coast of Haiti has killed at least 11 people and injured more than a hundred when several buildings collapsed.

The 5.9-magnitude quake struck near the northernmost tip of Haiti late on Saturday, causing damage to buildings, including an auditorium that collapsed and a hospital, authorities and media reported.

The quake struck about 20 km (12.3 miles), north-west of the port of Port-de-Paix, the US Geological Survey said.

The police chief for the north-west region, Jackson Hilaire, said at least seven people were killed and more than 100 injured in Port-de-Paix. Another four people died in and around the town of Gros-Morne further south, including a boy struck by a falling building, said the mayor, Jean Renel Tide.

Rescue workers reported the collapse of part of a hospital and an auditorium as the quake hit on a rainy evening.

The quake was one of the strongest to hit Haiti since a 7.0-magnitude quake struck near the capital, Port-au-Prince, in 2010, killing thousands of people in the impoverished Caribbean country.

In a post on Twitter, Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, urged people to remain calm after the civil protection agency said the quake caused injuries and panic in northern towns.

Haiti earthquake: the aftermath Read more

Le Nouvelliste newspaper said one person died when an auditorium collapsed in Gros Morne, and that detainees were released from a police holding cell that was damaged. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

The tremor damaged the facade of a church in the town of Plaisance and a house next door collapsed, Frantz Duval, a journalist with le Nouvelliste, said on Twitter.

Initial reports on social media said Saturday’s quake was felt in Port-au-Prince but had not caused major damage there.