The earthquake occurred on Saturday morning Energy at 7.2, according to the US Seismological Center.
The epicenter of the earthquake was south of the city of Petite-Trues-de-Nieps, 150 km west of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The USGS tsunami alert has been cancelled.
The US Geological Survey reports that many people may have lost their lives in the poor, impassable mountainous regions of the country.
The prolonged earthquake can be felt throughout the country and in the neighboring Dominican Republic. The earthquake can also be felt in the eastern tip of Cuba and in Jamaica.
Physical damage has already been reported on the heavily populated peninsula in southwest Haiti where the Petit Trou de Nippes is located, according to photos uploaded by local witnesses.
– Many homes were destroyed, people died and some were taken to hospital. Everyone is out on the streets now, and the tremors continue, says Christella St Helier, who lives near the epicenter.
Among other things, a school and a church where there was a mass collapsed.
In Port-au-Prince, many people fled to the streets in fear of homes collapsing when the earthquake struck at 8:30 am.
Haiti is still struggling after the devastating earthquake eleven years ago that killed an estimated 200,000 people. The country is also suffering from the political turmoil that followed the assassination of the president a month ago.
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