Wyclef Jean is asking friends and fans to pray for the people of his native Haiti after the island was hit by deadly earthquake on Tuesday. Reports suggest the triple quake caused the collapse of buildings, including a hospital, which tumbled into a ravine.

“It is really a catastrophe of major proportions,” Raymond Joseph, the US ambassador to Haiti, said late Tuesday. Many of the buildings in Haiti are made of concrete and the ravished city is now jsut a cloud of dust. Officials note that there is a serious loss of life expected. The former Fugees star is asking for assistance for victims of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck near the capital this afternoon.

“Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced,” Wyclef began in a release this evening. “The magnitude 7.0 earthquake — and several very strong aftershocks — struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince. I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now,” the “Gone ‘Til November” rapper continued.

“President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.”

Those who would like to help with the Quake Relief Efforts, may donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund by texting “Yele” to 501501 (the amount will be charged to the person’s cell phone bill) or or can visit www.Yele.org and click “Donate.”