A US military official in Haiti says that while there have been reports of sporadic violence in the wake of a major earthquake, the situation in the capital Port-au-Prince remains relatively calm.

Rear Admiral Mike Rogers also characterised the Caribbean nation as "stable", adding there is nothing inhibiting the US military's work in bringing aid to survivors.

Despite this assessment, some Haitians say they are concerned about violence and lawlessness as quake survivors struggle in increasingly difficult conditions.

Few have faith the Haitian police force - less than a third of whom have shown up to work since last week's quake - can protect them.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports.