7.0 earthquake hits Haiti capital

A major earthquake struck just off the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, sparking a tsunami watch for parts of the Caribbean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States, told CNN he had little information about the extent of damage from the quake, which had a reported magnitude of 7.0. But he said the suffering inflicted on the impoverished Caribbean nation was likely to be "catastrophic."

The quake had a reported magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (16 km) off the coast and about 6 miles (10 km) underground, according to the USGS.

The quake could be felt strongly in the eastern Cuban city of Santiago, about 250 miles west of Port-au-Prince.

Haiti's presidential palace and numerous other government buildings in the country's capital Port-au-Prince collapsed , Haitian television, streaming online, reports.

Haiti was catastrophe waiting to happen

Haiti's infrastructure was among the world's worst even in the best of times, the country's ambassador to the United States said Tuesday. The capital city is surrounded by hills to which "little flimsy houses" were struggling to hold on. Eighty percent of Haiti's 9 million residents live under the poverty line and more than half -- 54 percent -- live in abject poverty, according to the CIA Factbook. Haiti is also the poorest nation in Americas.

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