International relief aid is expected to reach Haiti by land via the Dominican Republic as air transport is jammed, reports said Friday.

Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez has promised land access for aid delivery to Haiti during a Thursday meeting with his Haitian counterpart, Rene Preval, at the Port-au-Prince international airport.

Poor infrastructure at the Port-au-Prince airport is making it hard for enough emergency aid to fly into the country. Severe damage to the seaport in the capital city is complicating the sea route.

Rescue work is being slowed down as international rescuers and necessary equipment are also being denied quick access to Haiti. The delivery of humanitarian aid is also being affected.

Haiti was rocked by a devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, the strongest in more than 200 years. The epicenter was only 16 km from Port-au-Prince, where nearly 70 percent of buildings were destroyed.

More than 50,000 people were killed and other 250,000 were injured during the 7.3-magnitude earthquake, Haitian Health Minister Alex Larsen told a press conference on Friday.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2009)