A near miss for holiday couple

Mr and Mrs Breen from Connaught Park were on a Caribbean cruise and due to dock at the port of Labadee on the island as their first port of call.

Despite the ship entering the harbour the captain refused to let the passengers disembark.

"At first we were annoyed," said Mr Breen (he didn't want his first name used), "but later when we realised what had happened we knew then it was a good call.

"The port we were to dock is an idyllic tropical setting of mainly beach huts. It's some distance from Port-au-Prince and we saw no sign of the devastation although apparently the harbour was damaged by the quake."

The quake, registering seven on the richter scale, hit the island's capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday just before 5pm, local time.

Shortly after the first quake the island was further rocked by two more very strong aftershocks. The death toll has been rising every day since with estimates of the dead at around 200,000.

It is the worst quake to hit the Caribbean island in two centuries.

Mr Breen continued: "We were told there were abnormal swells on the sea, it was not until later that night an announcement was made about the earthquake.

"All the crew on board said they felt it, but we just thought the sea was a bit rough.

"Cruise ships and tourism are big business and the people on the island rely heavily on the income.

"A collection was held on the ship, there were some 4,000 passengers onboard, and everyone was very generous."

Countries across the world have joined an international aid relief programme to help the millions of people left homeless and hungry by the quake.