A 72 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Haiti

An earthquake with a massive preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck Haiti on Saturday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, raising fears of destruction similar to the devastating 2010 quake that shattered the country.

"High casualties are probable and the disaster is likely widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response," USGS said.

The epicenter of the earthquake was 12 kilometers, or 7.5 miles, northeast of Saint-Louis-du-Sud and 10 kilometers deep, according to the USGS. It struck five miles from the town of Petit-Trou-de-Nippes in the western part of the country, the survey said.

People in the capital of Port-au-Prince, about 80 miles to the east of the epicenter, felt the tremor and many rushed into the streets in fear.

Some fear reliving the trauma of the 2010 earthquake. A 7.0-magnitude quake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, leaving an estimated 220,000 dead and some 1.5 million people displaced and about 300,000 injured.

Naomi Verneus, a 34-year-old resident of Port-au-Prince, said she was jolted awake by Saturday's earthquake and that her bed was shaking, the Associated Press reported.

"I woke up and didn't have time to put my shoes on. We lived the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later remembered my two kids and my mother were still inside. My neighbor went in and told them to get out. We ran to the street," Verneus said.

This is a breaking news story. Some things reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.

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