The 7.2-magnitude quake hit the west of the country, with its epicentre about 8km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Officials told reporters there had been fatalities. Images of damaged and collapsed buildings were shared on social media.
Haiti is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake.
“I can confirm that there are deaths, but I don’t yet have an exact toll,” Jerry Chandler, Haiti’s director of civil protection, told AFP news agency.