Port-De-Paix, Oct 9 (AP) The death toll from a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that hit near northern Haiti has increased to 17.

Officials say nine people died in the north coastal city of Port-de-Paix, seven in Gros Morne and one in Saint-Louis de Nord.

The government said late Monday that another 333 people were injured and that at least 7,783 families are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. Saturday's quake also destroyed four schools and damaged thousands of homes.

A magnitude 5.2 aftershock hit Haiti on Sunday, prompting thousands of people to sleep outdoors for fear of their safety.

Officials in Haiti have struggled to shore up buildings due to the two major fault lines along Hispaniola, which is the island shared with the Dominican Republic. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)