4.9 magnitude quake strikes southern Haiti; 3 dead, several injured

Port-Au-Prince: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 struck southern Haiti early Tuesday, killing at least three people and injuring several others, authorities said.

The quake struck before dawn near the southern coastal city of Jeremie at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The three people who died were found under a collapsed house where rescuers were searching for more people, Frankel Maginaire with Haiti's Civil Protection Agency in Jeremie told The Associated Press.

He said several children were at the hospital being treated for injuries they received after they panicked and ran.

Crowds of people milled through the street after the quake, anxious about aftershocks.

The earthquake struck almost a year after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti and killed more than 2,200 people, with Les Cayes sustaining the most damage.

Some people who lost their homes last August are still living in camps.

In 2010, a magnitude 7 quake near the densely populated capital, Port-au-Prince, killed at least 200,000 people and caused widespread devastation to buildings. (AP)