Mobile phone company Digicel, which was established by Irish entrepreneur Denis O'Brien, today announced it is to donate $5 million to support the relief efforts in Haiti following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit the capital Port-au-Prince yesterday.
In a statement, the firm said its donation would be made to the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are spearheading relief efforts in Haiti.
Digicel Group chief executive Colm Delves said the company was "deeply upset and concerned" at the news of the earthquake.
"We want to do whatever we can to support the desperately needed relief efforts. We hope that governments around the world will also support the people of Haiti and immediately provide much needed aid to assist with the huge recovery efforts that are now needed," he said.
Digicel, which has mobile phone operations in 24 markets in the Caribbean and El Salvador, began operating in Haiti in 2007. Its headquarters is one of the few buildings left standing in Port-au-Prince.
The company said it is sending a team of people to Haiti today to assist in the relief efforts and to assess the impact on its communications infrastructure, which the company said "incurred damage but is operational".
Speaking on RTÉ radio at lunchtime, Mr O'Brien called on the public to donate to aid agencies working to help the victims of the disaster.
"There's widespread chaos. If you look at the news reports...it's 20 times what you're seeing on television," he said. "There are thousands of people who have lost their lives and many more who are severely injured. Everyone will remember the coverage of the earthquake in China and this is as bad as that."
Mr O'Brien said that a senior member of staff at Digicel was currently unaccounted for. In addition, a member of the firm's security team is also missing.
Digicel employs approximately 600 staff in Haiti.