The US military has begun airdropping water and food into earthquake-hit Haiti, after earlier ruling out such a delivery method as too risky¹.

在排除空投危险性后，美国军方已开始向海地地震灾区空投水和食物。

Airdrops were earlier ruled out amid fears they might provoke riots

Some 14,000 ready-to-eat meals and 15,000 litres of water were dropped in a secure area north-east of Port-au-Prince, a US military spokeswoman said.

Military officials are now considering whether airdrops空投 should be used throughout Haiti.

More than 2,000 US marines are set to join 1,000 US troops in Haiti.

They are equipped with heavy lifting and earth-moving equipment, a dozen helicopters and medical support facilities.

Their arrival comes amid widespread violence and looting抢劫，洗劫.

However, UN humanitarian² chief John Holmes played down贬低，降低 worries over security, saying that despite incidents of violence, the overall situation was calm.

And the leading US general in Haiti, Lt Gen Ken³ Keen, said there was currently less violence in the capital Port-au-Prince - already a troubled city - than there had been before the earthquake.

Earlier, Gen Keen said up to 200,000 people might have died in the disaster, which he said was of "epic史诗的 proportions".

Aid workers are starting to expand their efforts to earthquake-affected areas outside the capital, including Leogane, Gressier, Petit-Goave and the coastal⁵ town of Jacmel.

Aid effort 'improving'

The US Air Force C-17 dropped the relief supplies救灾物资 on Monday into a secured area five miles (8km) north-east of Port-au-Prince, US army spokeswoman Maj Tanya Bradsher was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

She said the aircraft had flown out of Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.

Last week, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said airdrops had been ruled out排除 because they might do more harm than good.

Mr Gates warned that they could trigger riots暴动，闹事 if there was no proper structure on the ground to distribute supplies

Delivering aid to the centre of Port-au-Prince is getting much more difficult, as anger fuelled by hunger reaches boiling point, and military escorts护卫者 are needed for lorries carrying supplies, the BBC's David Loyn reports from the city.