Thousands of people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake struck Haiti`s capital, leaving tens of thousands homeless and buried beneath rubble.
The dead and injured lay in the streets of Port-au-Prince after the earthquake hit the impoverished Caribbean country, toppling buildings including the presidential palace.
The Red Cross and United Nations have unlocked emergency funds and mobilised supplies for a "massive" aid operation amid fears of huge devastation.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was gearing up to help a "maximum of three million people".
The headquarters of the UN`s Haiti peacekeeping mission were seriously damaged, and the organisation says at least five people died in the building, and more than 100 people remain unaccounted for.
The French foreign minister says the head of the UN mission, Tunisian Hedi Annabi, appears to have died in the earthquake.
Bernard Kouchner told French radio that "everyone who was in the building is apparently dead".
The quake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, is said to be the most powerful to hit Haiti in more than 200 years.
It took just 60 seconds for the quake to destroy large parts of Port-au-Prince, just 10 miles from the epicentre of the tremor.
As darkness fell last night, screams could be heard coming from victims still trapped in the debris of buildings across Port-au-Prince.
Residents on the impoverished island used flashlights to try and find the injured and dead.
Thousands of people gathered in public squares late into the night, singing hymns and weeping, with many seriously injured people sitting in the streets pleading for doctors.
Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, said "there must be thousands of people dead".
At least one of the capital`s hospitals collapsed in the quake, burying many patients.
Medicins Sans Frontieres` trauma hospital, a 60-bed centre and one of the only free-of-charge surgical facilities in Port-au-Prince, was seriously damaged by the quake.
The organisation says it is "deeply concerned" for the safety of its staff and patients, and will be deploying additional staff to the country in the coming days.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said the earthquake had a "devastating" impact on Port-au-Prince, and said he plans to visit the area as soon as possible.
US President Barack Obama said his "thoughts and prayers" were with the people of Haiti and pledged immediate aid.
Gordon Brown said he was "deeply saddened and worried" about the reported scale of the earthquake.
Britain has sent a team from the Department for International Development (DFID) to assess Haiti`s humanitarian needs.
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