A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti several days ago, causing massive damage to buildings, infrastructure, and people.

The devastating earthquake, which took place at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, was epicentered just about 15 miles to the west of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

<h3>Haiti Earthquake</h3>

Already, reports have been flowing into major news outlets about the huge numbers of people feared wounded or dead on the island.   The earthquake has collapsed many vital buildings, roads, and other infrastructure in the city.  Among the buildings severly damaged in the quake are hospitals and the National Palace in Port-au-Prince.  According to some estimates, nearly all of the buildings in Port-au-Prince and the area close to the epicenter have been damaged in some way by the quake.

While crews from the United Nations are currently on the ground attempting to administer supplies and rescue people trapped in the rubble, authorities believe that their numbers are far too few to conduct a complete rescue.  There have already been reports of people trapped under debris across the city using social networking sites such as Twitter to ask for help with their cell phones.  U.S. President Barack Obama has committed to sending supplies and troops to Haiti to help the devastated nation.  We will have more on this developing story as information comes in.