PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - A new earthquake shook the devastated Haitian capital on Wednesday morning, creating panic among survivors of last week's devastating quake camped out in the streets but apparently causing no new destruction.
The powerful 6.1 magnitude aftershock at daybreak sent shrieking Haitians running away from buildings and walls in the shattered city fearing a repeat of the magnitude 7 earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people eight days ago.
"It felt really strong. Each aftershock is frightening. We feel it right here (pointing at his stomach) because after last Tuesday you never know how strong it is going to be," said Lenis Batiste, camped out on some grass with two children.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday's tremor was centered 35 miles west-southwest of Port-au-Prince.
Desperate and hungry residents of Port-au-Prince have been sleeping outdoors since the January 12 earthquake because their homes were destroyed, or from fear of aftershocks.
"Things started shaking. We were really afraid. People came out into the street," said Victor Jean Rossiny, a 24-year-old law student, living in the street in the Petionville suburb. "We have nothing here, not even water."
Fears of violence and looting have eased in Haiti as U.S. troops provide security for water and food aid deliveries, and thousands of displaced Haitians have heeded the government's advice to seek shelter outside Port-au-Prince.
Medical care, handling of corpses, shelter, water, food and sanitation remain the priorities for a international relief operation, U.N. relief officials said.
U.S. Black Hawk helicopters swooped down on the grounds of Haiti's wrecked presidential palace on Tuesday, deploying troops and supplies and immediately attracting crowds of survivors who clamored for handouts of food.
"Supplies are beginning to get out to the people," U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said during a visit to India. Gates said he hoped the presence of U.S. troops would prevent violence.
"There is a concern that if you are unable to get significant supplies out that in their desperation people will turn to crime and violence," he said. "We have not seen much of that yet happily, and my hope is that as we get these trucks out on the roads with supplies and people see patrols -- that will prevent any significant violence from taking place."
LOCALIZED VIOLENCE
While military escorts are needed to deliver relief, the United Nations said security problems were mainly in areas considered "high risk" before the disaster. Some 4,000 criminals escaped from prisons damaged by the earthquake.
"The overall security situation in Port-au-Prince remains stable, with limited, localized violence and looting occurring," the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Around 12,000 U.S. military personnel are on the ground in Haiti, on ships offshore or en route, including the USNS Comfort hospital ship, which was to arrive in the area on Wednesday, providing essential capacity for complex surgeries.
At least one Latin American leader, Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez, a fiery critic of what he calls U.S. "imperialism," has already accused Washington of "occupying" Haiti under the pretext of an aid operation.
Haitian President Rene Preval has said U.S. troops will help U.N. peacekeepers keep order in Port-au-Prince.
In a bid to speed the arrival of aid and stem looting and violence, the U.N. Security Council has unanimously agreed to temporarily add 2,000 U.N. troops and 1,500 police to the 9,000-member peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
The World Food Program, which has fed 200,000 quake victims, aims to move the equivalent of 10 million ready-to-eat meals within the next week, the United Nations said. An additional 130,000 have been fed by other relief groups.
Source: Reuters