At least 12 deaths were confirmed after an earthquake in northwest Haiti.
The magnitude 5.9 quake shook the island late Saturday night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
At least five of the deaths were registered in the Port-de-Paix area, said Jerry Chandler, the head of the country's Civil Protection disaster response unit.
The earthquake occurred about 12 miles north of Port-de-Paix in northwest Haiti.
Haitian officials are expecting the death toll to go up and were preparing to deploy disaster workers to the area Sunday.
Eddy Jackson Alexis, the secretary of state for communications, said the ministries of interior and health had received reports of seven dead, including in Gros Morne, a community in the Artibonite region.
By sunrise Sunday, the preliminary figures had climbed to 12 dead and scores of injured. Dozens of homes and private buildings were damaged or destroyed.
There was no major damage to government structures other than a cultural center in Gros Morne that collapsed, Civil Protection said.
"Search and rescue, and assessment still ongoing," said Chandler, who had teams activated throughout the northwest and in Gros Morne. In some areas, efforts were stymied by rain, which had flooded streets.
Tony Mondestin, the director for the ministry of health in the northwest, confirmed that the quake had created a panic in the government-owned Immaculee de Port-de-Paix hospital, forcing injured residents to seek care at private hospitals after the staff fled.
Mondestin said his report indicates that 162 people suffered minor injuries in the northwest region and eight were seriously injured. He said help had arrived from Port-au-Prince including an ambulance, a surgeon, a nurse and medical supplies.
"The only thing left to do now is install the tent and try to find a way to begin to give the population service," he said. He said he was in the process of rounding up the hospital staff.
A port city, Port-de-Paix has a population of over 462,000. The principal mayor, Josue Alusma, is in hiding, accused by some in the population of orchestrating the death of one of two assistant mayors with a backhoe this year. As a result, residents and public works employees were left to fend for themselves after the earthquake.
Tremors were felt throughout the country, triggering panic. At least two aftershocks were also registered, according to Civil Protection.
The last time an earthquake hit Haiti, in 2010, more than 300,000 people were killed.
