Haiti is prone to earthquakes as the island sits adjacent to major fault lines along the so-called “Ring of Fire”.
PORT-AU-PRINCE: A 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck off the northwest coast of Haiti left at least 11 people dead and more than 130 injured, authorities in the Caribbean nation said on Sunday.
The epicenter of the quake was located about 19 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of the city of Port-de-Paix, the US Geological Survey reported.
In a post on Twitter, President Jovenel Moïse urged people to remain calm after the civil protection agency reported panic in northern towns.
Prime Minister Jean-Henry Céant said a crisis cabinet has been created to coordinate all emergency responses to the earthquake.
The country’s civil protection agency issued a statement saying several people were injured and some houses destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island.
About 90 percent of all earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, which is dotted with 75 percent of all the active volcanoes on earth.The last time an earthquake hit Haiti was in 2010; more than 300,000 people were killed.
