Church aid agencies are responding to a major humanitarian disaster in Haiti after the Caribbean nation was struck by a devastating earthquake leaving countless people homeless and possibly many thousands dead.

The quake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale and the worst in two centuries, struck 15 kilometres southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince at about 5 p.m. local time on 12 January.  ACT Alliance, a global network of churches and related agencies, reported that offices, hotels, houses and shops collapsed, while the presidential palace lay in ruins.

The alliance reported that the Port-au-Prince is without electricity, while the telephone network has broken down. It said its Geneva secretariat is coordinating the relief operations of its members.

World Council of Churches' general secretary the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit issued a statement from the grouping's Geneva headquarters urging solidarity with the people of Haiti.

Multiple burdens on Haiti
"Once again they have experienced the great burdens of anguish, damage, and death because of a natural catastrophe," Tveit said. "They have already carried many burdens of political instability and poverty."

In 2004 more than 3000 people died when Hurricane Jeanne passed over the northwest city of Gonaives. This same area was hit again in 2008 when four tropical storm systems struck the region. Also in 2004 political instability led to the ousting of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI appealed to the "generosity of everyone" and called for solidarity and active support from the international community for those suffering in Haiti.

Christian Aid offices collapse
The offices of ACT Alliance member Christian Aid in Haiti collapsed and three people, including Christian Aid staff, had to be pulled from the rubble, the London-headquartered agency said.

"The Christian Aid building was relatively robust," said regional manager Judith Turbyne in a statement on the agency's Web site. "Bearing in mind the very fragile state of buildings in the poorer communities, it is likely that there has been severe damage."

In New York, the United Nations said contacts with U.N. staff had been severely hampered because of the disruption of communications networks, while he added that the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Port-au-Prince had sustained serious damage.

UN personnel missing
"For the moment, a large number of personnel remain unaccounted for," said Alain Le Roy, the U.N. under-secretary-general for peacekeeping.

The director of the Geneva-based Lutheran World Federation's department for world service, the Rev. Eberhard Hitzler, called upon the international community to respond urgently with an immediate, substantial response to the quake.

He said that the earthquake's direct impact on U.N. buildings and a large number of U.N. personnel would hamper the coordination of emergency relief efforts. It would also constitute a supplementary risk for the population's security, since one of the tasks of the U.N. in Haiti is to help rebuild government institutions including law enforcement, Hitzler added.