Haiti rocked by 6.1 magnitude aftershock one week after earthquake

The powerful tremor shook buildings, bringing terror again to the city, which was devastated when an even bigger quake struck Haiti on Jan 12, killing as many as 200,000 people.

Beleaguered residents of the city had dreaded a major aftershock and many have been sleeping outdoors to prevent being caught by falling masonry or roofs of their shelters in the event of another quake.

The US Geological Survey said on Wednesday the preliminary 6.1 magnitude quake hit at about 6.00am local time, about 35 miles north-west of Port-au-Prince.

It said the quake struck at a depth of 6.2 miles.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but crashing could be heard, suggesting that buildings already damaged in the first quake had collapsed.

There have been a series of big aftershocks over the past week, but rescuers have found at least 120 survivors who defied the quake's deadly odds.