An Israeli search and rescue team Wednesday departed to Haiti, which was rocked by a strong earthquake.

"The delegation includes engineering, medical, logistics and rescue experts from the IDF Home Front Command," Israel Defense Force (IDF) said in a statement, adding that the delegation will "examine the possibilities of offering aid following the recent earthquake."

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake, which struck at 4:53 PM local time (2153 GMT), was followed by a tsunami and at least 13 aftershocks.

Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Israeli Foreign Ministry as saying earlier Wednesday that three Israelis in Haiti were feared missing.

Shortly after the earthquake, many countries have offered or been ready to offer assistance to the Caribbean country, which the United Nations said was one of the poorest states in the Western hemisphere.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2010)