Tsunami Alert Issued After Quake Rocks Haiti

(Panama-Guide) A quake measuring 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti Tuesday causing panic as it struck, officials and AFP witnesses said. A tsunami alert was immediately issued for the Caribbean region after the earthquake struck at 2153 GMT. An AFP correspondent said the ground shook for more than a minute. The US Geological Survey said the powerful quake was initially measured at 7.3 on the scale and struck 16 kilometers (ten miles) from the capital Port-Au-Prince, and 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Petionville. An AFP correspondent in Petionville said one three-story building was toppled, and a tractor was already at the scene trying to dig out victims as people fled onto the streets in panic.