Haiti quake kills at least 14

An earthquake that hit northern Haiti late on Saturday killed at least 14 people.

It sparked a scramble by rescue agencies to help residents of the worst-hit towns in the impoverished Caribbean country.

A local official said at least eight people died in the northern coast near the epicentre of the magnitude 5.9 quake, which struck at a depth of 11.7 kilometres.

Four people were killed in and around the town in farther south, including a woman who died from a heart attack suffered after the quake.