Canada on Wednesday announced to provide 5 million Canadian dollars (US$4.8 million) in immediate aid to Haiti and pledged to send the professional Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the Carribean country.

Bev Oda, the minister of international co-operation, said in a press release that the immediate aid will provide emergency shelter, medical services, food, relief items, water and sanitation services and protection to the quake victims in Haiti.

A 20-member reconnaissance team has landed in Haiti Wednesday afternoon to assess the damage, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay confirmed the DART is on standby to go to Haiti to provide aid.

At least two vessels from the Canadian navy equipped with emergency supplies will leave for Haiti Thursday, he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a phone call to US President Barack Obama Wednesday to talk about the situation in Haiti. The two leaders agreed to work together to assist the country, according to media reports here.

Thousands of people are feared dead and many are missing in a 7. 0-magnitude earthquake, which struck Haiti at about 4:53 p.m. local time (2153 GMT) Tuesday. International Federation of the Red Cross estimated that some 3 million people may have been affected by the earthquake.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2010)