The Belfast Cathedral Black Santa has launched a special "Barrel for Haiti" to raise funds for food, shelter, water and medicine in the wake of the Haiti earthquake disaster.
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It is feared the seven-magnitude quake, which hit the Caribbean island on Tuesday, may have killed tens of thousands of people, toppling hundreds of buildings ranging from shacks to a hospital, the United Nations headquarters and the presidential palace.
The barrel is located inside the front door of St Anne's Cathedral where donations for the Haiti appeal can be made between 10am - 4pm.
The Dean of Belfast Dr Houston McKelvey announced the local fundraising operation, as specialist search-and-rescue teams from the US, Britain, Canada, France, Venezuela and Iceland joined the international relief effort in Haiti.
Churches throughout Northern Ireland also pledged their support to Haiti.
Church of Ireland Archbishop and Primate of All Ireland, Alan Harper, urged all those who feel able to contribute financially to assist the people of Haiti during this difficult time, while the Church of Ireland's Bishop' Appeal, the Church's World Aid and Development Programme has already donated an initial £20,000.
Trocaire, the official overseas charity for the Catholic Church in Ireland, is also appealing to the public for funds.
On Wednesday night, Irish Aid agencies launched a €5m appeal.
Concern, which has 100 mostly local staff in the country, and Goal each offered €250,000 emergency funding.
'Unimaginable'
Haiti President, Rene Preval, declared that the scale of the devastation was "unimaginable" and said he had been told that between 30,000 and 50,000 people had been killed.
Charity worker Trevor King who works for Compassion UK, has just returned from Haiti and said he feared the worst for his colleagues.
"We can't get in touch with any of our people out there and we think that all the compassion staff are probably dead. It's devastating and in the next 24 hours that place will turn into a living hell," he told UTV.
"So many dead bodies and no hospitals. There is no where to take the bodies and disease will spread. It's beyond your wildest nightmare."
He added: "I was there nine weeks ago and we sponsor a lot of kids there and we have no idea if the kids are dead or alive. There is no communciation as mobile and normal phones are down."
Prof Roger Searle from the Earth Sciences Department at Durham University said a magnitude 7 earthquake releases the energy equivalent of several nuclear bombs.
He said a quake of this size had not been seen for 250 years in Haiti.
British Secretary of State for international development, Douglas Alexander, said the UK had mobilised a fire and rescue service team of 64 people with dogs and heavy rescue equipment.
The "Black Santa" tradition at Belfast Cathedral was started by Dean Sammy Crooks in the seventies.
Normally held in the run-up to Christmas, the last time the Black Santa appeal was extended was in 2004, when it raised £1.6m for the tsunami victims.
© UTV News