Major earthquake shakes Haiti (Updated)

Update (10:45pm):

Footage of the aftermath of today's earthquake has just emerged and shows the death and destruction caused by the tremor in Port-au-Prince. (The following video contains graphic scenes and is Not Safe For Work):

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In the meantime we ask that you please open your hearts and wallets in order to help the victims of Tuesday's tremors. Please click here to find links to AmeriCares, Yele Haiti and other organizations establishing relief efforts for the Caribbean country.

As we mentioned previously, governments throughout the Americas have mobilized to send relief efforts to Haiti. Furthermore, the U.S. State Department has set up a hotline for those interested in info on family or friends in Haiti:

The toll-free number to call for information about family members in Haiti is 1-888-407-4747. The State Department advises that some callers may receive a recording because of heavy volume of calls.

Officials say the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Port-au-Prince is still in the early stages of contacting American citizens and notes that communications are difficult within Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Update (9:00pm):

Additional information has been slow to emerge since the tremor hit off the Haitian coast several hours ago. Nonetheless, here is some of what's being reported:

• It is feared that thousands may be dead in Haiti and possibly neighboring Dominican Republic. The original quake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale was followed by a pair of aftershocks measuring 5.9 and 5.5, respectively.
• The tsunami watch that was initially issued for parts of the Caribbean was subsequently lifted. Nonetheless, the tremor was felt as far away as the eastern part of Cuba though without major damage reported.
• According to Haitian television many buildings have been seriously damaged including the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince. CNN en Espanol claimed that eyewitness accounts said that the Haitian headquarters of Citibank may have fallen and that the housing for United Nations peacekeepers is in ruins.
• Several governments in the Americas are scrambling to provide urgent relief assistance for what appears to be a major catastrophe. The American Red Cross is also asking for donations as well as musician Wyclef Jean via his Twitter page.
• Some reports of the casualties and damage have gradually filtered via users on Twitter. Via SFGate.com is this Twitter feed from a man in Port-au-Prince named Richard Morse.
• Haitian expats in the U.S. have desperately tried to reach loved ones back in their homeland. One of them living in Florida told the Miami Herald that "land lines, cell phones and Internet connections are all down."
  

We'll try to report more on this story tonight. If you have any information please mention it in the comments to this post.

Original Post:

In a developing news story, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale shook off the coast of Haiti this afternoon. The epicenter was fourteen miles west of the capital city of Port-au-Prince and a tsunami alert has been issued for Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados.

According to the AP, a hospital collapsed in Petionville as people screamed for help. But Reuters reported that so far there has been "no immediate report of damage or casualties."

We'll have more on this breaking (and likely tragic) news story as more details become known.

Online Sources - Reuters, MSNBC, AFP
Image Source - Lonely Planet