Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will send US$10 million in humanitarian aid to Haiti to help reconstruct the country after the devastating earthquake, local media reported Wednesday.

Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim was heading to Haiti's capital city Port-au-Prince Wednesday morning, along with military officials and the ambassador of Brazil in Haiti, Ygor Kipman, to help assess the damage suffered by Brazilians in the earthquake.

According to the Charge d'affaires of Brazil in Port-au-Prince, Claudio Campos, the Brazil Embassy suffered serious damage but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Brazilian community in Haiti has a population of 1,310, most of which are military personnel participating in the UN peacekeeping mission.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2010)