President Barack Obama ordered an immediate US rescue effort, while the European Union activated its crisis systems and the Red Cross and United Nations unlocked emergency funds and supplies for the destitute nation.

Much of the capital Port-au-Prince was reduced to rubble by the 7.0-strong quake but the airport was operational, opening the way for for international relief aid to be ferried in by air as well as by sea.

"I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives," Obama said. "Search and rescue teams from Florida, Virginia and California will arrive throughout today (Wednesday) and tomorrow."

A US Coast Guard cutter arrived off the coast of Haiti to evacuate some of the injured.

"The priority is to find survivors," Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in Geneva.

"We are working against the clock," she told journalists, as the United Nations mobilised some 37 search and rescue teams from a global network.

Pope Benedict XVI meanwhile urged a generous response to the "tragic situation."

"I appeal to the generosity of all to ensure our concrete solidarity and the effective support of the international community for these brothers and sisters who are living a time of need and suffering," he said.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was gearing up to help a "maximum of three million people," based on the numbers who live in the affected area.

It was drawing on emergency stocks in Haiti, which is often hit by severe floods and hurricanes, allowing help for 3,000 families for three to four days.

"But we'll have to swiftly bring relief supplies from our regional disaster response centre based in Panama," Red Cross spokesman Jean-Luc Martinage said.

The UN's World Food Programme said it could respond swiftly with some 15,000 tonnes of food supplies in Haiti. "We have already launched an emergency operation," said WFP official Charles Vincent.

The World Health Organisation deployed specialists to help handle mass casualties and corpses, warning the control of communicable diseases, such as diarrhoea, was a major concern in the coming days.

Brazil said it was flying out tonnes of food, including sugar, powdered milk and sardines, and had also despatched its defense minister, Nelson Jobim, after at least 11 Brazilian peacekeepers were killed.

Canadian authorities reacted quickly, dispatching a reconnaissance mission to Haiti to evaluate the needs of survivors, to be followed by a sizeable relief and rescue force.

Cuba, which also felt the quake and evacuated some 30,000 people following a brief tsunami alert, sent 30 doctors, according to Cuban media.

Some 400 Cuban medical staff already in Haiti were largely unharmed and two Cuban field hospitals in Port-au-Prince, had dealt with almost 700 wounded by early Wednesday according to Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

An Argentine UN-built hospital was caring for some 800 people, mainly women and children, and was in a "critical situation" due to the number of dead and wounded, said its director Daniel Desimone on Todo Noticias Argentine news channel.

Britain sent off a four-person emergency assessment team while a 64-strong team of rescuers with sniffer dogs and equipment assembled at London's Gatwick airport, said international development minister Douglas Alexander.

The European Commission released three million euros in emergency assistance as the European Union said it had activated all "crisis and aid management mechanisms."

President of the European Union, Herman van Rompuy, said "the EU stands ready to offer its assistance in any possible way."

France flew planes full of rescuers, plus humanitarian aid and doctors to treat the masses of victims.

Civil safety authorities said a total of 130 French rescuers, doctors and nurses as well as trained rescue dogs were due to reach Haiti within a day, with 12 tonnes of aid and rescue material.

President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "deep emotion" and solidarity with the people of Haiti "and with the UN personnel who were seriously affected by the earthquake," in a statement released by his office.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, a former humanitarian aid worker, said that France was sending four planes from the nearby French Caribbean island of Martinique with police and rescuers and hospital staff.

Spain said it had 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid ready while Italy prepared a military transport plane to carry in a field hospital.

Italy's foreign minister said it would also send one million euros in emergency aid to the international organisations working in Haiti, including 500,000 euros to be allocated to the World Food Programme.

"I feel deeply close to the Haitian people, so badly affected by this terrible disaster," Franco Frattini said.

The Netherlands immediately released two million euros (2.9 million dollars) and sent a search and rescue team of 60 specially trained individuals with sniffer dogs.

"The gravity of the situation seems to be like that in Southeast Asia after the tsunami in 2004," Cooperation and Development Minister Bert Koenders said.

Germany released 1.5 million euros in aid while Belgium, Sweden and Luxembourg offered water purification equipment, tents, medical help and search-and-rescue experts.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her "solidarity with the Haitian people" and "dismay at the possible extent of the damage."

Denmark would provide 10 million Danish kroner (1.34 million euros, 1.94 million dollars) worth of emergency aid to Haiti, International Cooperation minister Ulla Toernaes announced.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a plane to take out a field hospital with 20 doctors, the official news agency Itar-Tass reported.

Taiwan, whose ambassador to Haiti was hurt in the quake, pledged 200,000 dollars in humanitarian aid while the International Monetary Fund said it was looking into how it could help.

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