Haiti quake death toll rises to 15, and 300 injured

A man and two children stand on the porch of their home after it was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - An earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday killed 15 people, injured another 300 and destroyed 40 houses, Jerry Chandler, head of the Caribbean country's civil protection agency, said on Monday.

Chandler was speaking at a news conference to report on the human cost of the relatively shallow, magnitude 5.9 quake, which hit the north of the impoverished country late on Saturday.

The tremor caused widespread panic in the north and was one of the strongest to shake Haiti since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital Port-au-Prince in 2010. That quake killed tens of thousands of people.

People injured in an earthquake that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, are being looked after in a tent, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A magnitude 5.2 aftershock on Sunday afternoon sent people rushing into the street in Port-de-Paix, the coastal town that bore the brunt of Saturday's earthquake.

(Reporting by Cheslie Jean Baptiste; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Children sit in front of houses that were damaged in an earthquake that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Gros Morne, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A woman walks past a school, which was damaged in an earthquake that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Gros Morne, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A nun leaves a school, which was damaged in an earthquake that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Gros Morne, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A woman observes her home after it was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Gros Morne, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

People are seen at their home, which was damaged in an earthquake that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Gros Morne, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A man walks front of a school damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Gros Morne, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

People stand outside their home after it was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A man and two children stand on the porch of their home after it was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A woman looks at herself in a mirror while standing outside her house after it was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A tent is seen outside a house that was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A woman picks up rubble after her house was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A woman stands next to a tent she and her family uses since their home was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A family puts up a tent since their home was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A family rests on makeshift beds after their home was damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

A man stands in front of a house damaged in an earthquake, that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas

People injured in an earthquake that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday, sleep in a tent, in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Rojas