Haiti's Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive is warning that over 100,000 people may have been killed as a result of Tuesday evening's earthquake. It registered 7 on the Richter scale.
 
Large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince have been destroyed and the parliament building has collapsed. Many schools, hospitals and other buildings have also been destroyed.
 
The headquarters of the United Nations mission in Haiti is in ruins and more than 100 of its staff are missing. At least 14 UN peacekeepers from Brazil and Jordan have been confirmed as among the dead.

The level of damage in the Haitian capital is starkly illustrated in these photos taken before and after the earthquake:

 
The widespread chaos means it is difficult to estimate the death toll with any accuracy. Port-au-Prince's Archbishop Serge Miot and the Brazilian child rights activist Zilda Arns have been confirmed as having been killed.
 
The International Red Cross estimates that about three million Haitian residents have been affected by the disaster. The United Nations has formed thirty disaster teams.
 
Tuesday's quake was also felt in the Dominican Republic, which is located with Haiti on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. However, the damage there is reported not to be so severe. The country has pledged to send medical and food aid to Haiti.

UN staff missing
Telephone lines and electricity are down and thousands of people are sitting out on the streets with nowhere to go. The presidential palace and the headquarters of the UN mission in Haiti are seriously damaged and many UN staff are missing. Teams of rescue workers and aid workers from the United States and neighbouring countries have rushed to the country, while the international community and international relief organisations are considering their response. 

A tsunami alert for Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas was issued immediately after the quake, but swiftly lifted.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has a history of destructive natural disasters. The country was hit by major hurricanes two years ago, killing eight hundred people.

The international community has already been pledging help for Haiti. The Dutch Development Minister Bert Koenders has earmarked an initial two million euros in aid. The Dutch are also liaising with the Red Cross and the UN to ascertain how best to help in the wake of the tragedy.

Rescue work
The US was the first country to send rescue workers, specially trained sniffer-dogs and tonnes of aid. The EU has already made three million euros available.

The UN's Elizabeth Byrs says at this stage it is difficult to assess the true scale of the disaster.

Speaking to Dutch TV Evelien de Gier, who lives in the capital Port-au-Prince, said: "All of a sudden there was an enormous noise and everything started to shake. At first I didn't realise that it was an earthquake."

With her son Evelien rushed to get out of her house: "We fell and I injured my foot, then we had to crawl outside."

She also described how her husband had to leap to safety: "He was standing on scaffolding and when he jumped off it collapsed, then he saw the car moving on its own, it took him a few seconds to realise what was happening."

Telephone numbers Dutch Consulate-General Port-au-Prince
+ 509 2 222 09 5500
+ 509 2 940 96 42 (mobile office)
+ 509 3 403 48 89 (mobile hon. CG)
+ 509 3 769 11 99 (mobile hon. CG)  

Beware of scammers!
If you wish to donate money to one of the charities working in Haiti, please be aware that there are criminals trying to exploit the situation. If you receive any emails purporting to come from a charity and referring to the Haiti earthquake, ignore it and on no account click on any links in the email. Genuine charities don't send out unsolicited emails. See here for an example of such an email. We advise you to donate to one of the charities linked at Charity Navigator for a safe, secure way of making your contribution.