A 7.0 quake has struck Haiti just outside Port-au-Prince causing widespread damage. The Haitian ambassador to the United States, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN, "I think it's really a catastrophe of major proportions." The AFP spoke to a reporter with a Haitian TV station who described devastation in the capital:

"The presidential palace, the finance ministry, the ministry of public works, the ministry of communication and culture," were all affected by the quake, the reporter said, adding that the parliament building and a cathedral in the capital were also crumbling.

Though the earthquake's toll is still being tallied — and expected to be massive — one glimmer of good news is that an earlier tsunami issued throughout the Carribbean Basin has been lifted.

Widespread Damage After Quake Near Haitian Capital [NYT]