According to the US Geological Survey, there's a 35% chance that fatalities range between 1,000 and 10,000, as well as a 35% chance of economic losses in the tens of millions, according to the Mirror.

"A lot of houses have been destroyed, a lot of people are injured and were taken to the hospital," Valince Georges posted on Facebook, adding a photo of a destroyed two-story house, according to the Miami Herald. "A lot of aftershocks."

The earthquake, which was stronger than the 2010 7.0-magnitude earthquake which struck in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people, struck northeast of Saint-Louis du Sud.

A 5.2 aftershock was felt around 20 minutes after the first event, some 12 miles from Cavaillon.

The prime minister's office said that the emergency response had been activated and they were assessing the damages, which preliminary reports suggested were in the Grand Anse and southern regions of the country near the peninsula.

Preliminary images shared on social media showed collapsed homes and the Catholic Cathedral in the city town of Les Anglais, which is part of Jeremie in the Grand Anse region, turned to rubble. Destruction was also reported in the coastal city of Les Cayes after the ground shook at 8:29 a.m. -Miami Herald

Scenes of devastation were captured on Twitter.