Australians still missing in Haiti quake

Fears remain for a "small number" of Australians on the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean island of Haiti.

For Australians concerned about loved ones in the Haiti earthquake zone, please call 1300 555 135.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has confirmed the safety of 10 Australians, but the status of others remain unclear.

"We have been able to confirm the safety of 10 Australians in Haiti," a DFAT spokesperson told AAP. "We are still seeking to confirm the safety of a small number of other Australians who may also be in Haiti."

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake, 22km west of the Haiti capital Port-au-Prince, struck yesterday and caused extensive damage and casualties, with fears of more than 100,000 deaths.

A young Australian aid worker, Rachel Colbourne Hoffman, and her American husband Joel found safety at the US embassy in Port-au-Prince. Hoffman, 24, originally from Brisbane, and her husband travelled to Haiti before the earthquake to work with the Mennonite Central Committee, a Christian relief agency.

"If they are at the consulate in Port-au-Prince then they are fine," Mennonite director of communications Cheryl Zehr Walker told AAP.

"They are accounted for so we are very pleased about that." Zehr Walker could not say when or if they would be evacuated.

"We don't have an answer to that yet. We don't know," she said. DFAT said anyone with concerns for Australian family and friends in Haiti should first try to contact them directly.

If they are unable to contact them and still hold concerns for their welfare they should contact DFAT's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra on (02) 6261 3305. Australian representatives are assessing options for support to Haiti.

"We will respond to requests for international assistance from Haitian authorities and ensure it is co-ordinated with regional and international efforts," the spokesperson said.