Major earthquake in Haiti felt across Caribbean, sparks tsunami warning

A major earthquake struck western Haiti on Saturday, sending shock waves across the Caribbean, where people fled their homes for fear that buildings might collapse, and sparking a regional tsunami warning.

The magnitude 7.2 earthquake quake struck 8 km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey said.

That made the earthquake bigger and shallower than the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Haiti 11 years ago, killing tens if not hundreds of thousands of people, flattening buildings and leaving many homeless.

In these circumstances, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry urged Haitians to band together in solidarity after Saturday morning's earthquake.

In a tweet, Henry said, "I offer my sympathies to the relatives of the victims of this violent earthquake which caused several losses of human lives and property in several geographical departments of the country,"

"I appeal to the spirit of solidarity and commitment of all Haitians, in order to form a common front to face this dramatic situation that we are currently experiencing," another tweet read.

"Everyone is really afraid. It's been years since such a big earthquake," said Daniel Ross, a resident in the eastern Cuban city of Guantanamo, adding that his home stood firm but the furniture shook.

Cuban authorities said there were no reports yet of material damage, deaths or injuries.

In Jamaica, residents also felt the quake.

"I feel it, man. It wake me up. My roof kind of make some noise," said Danny Bailey, 49, in Kingston.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also reported a quake in the region, saying it was magnitude 7.6, while Cuba's seismological centre said it registered a magnitude of 7.4.

The US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami warning after the quake.