PORT-AU-PRINCE: A magnitude 5.9 earthquake in northern Haiti has killed at least 11 people and injured others.
The government reported seven deaths in the Nord-Ouest province and four other deaths in the community of Gros-Morne in the province of Artibonite, the newspaper Le Nouvelliste quoted Secretary of State for Communications Eddy Jackson Alexis as saying.
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 8:11 p.m. Saturday night (001 GMT) and was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles (219 kilometers) from the capital of Port-au-Prince. The quake was 7.3 miles (11.7 kilometers) below the surface.
The country’s civil protection agency issued a statement saying several people were injured and some houses were destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island. Among the structures damaged was the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance.
The civil protection agency officially confirmed the deaths of at least 10 people.
In 2010, a vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital and killed an estimated 300,000 people.