A hungry crowd gathered outside an airport in southern Haiti on Wednesday as victims of an earthquake that killed some 2,000 people voiced anger that government aid was slow to arrive five days after the disaster, leaving many without food and water.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who flew to visit the worst-affected city of Les Cayes in southwest Haiti soon after Saturday's magnitude 7.2 quake, had praised the dignity shown by survivors and promised a rapid escalation of aid.

But following another night of rains, residents in Les Cayes, including those camped in a mushrooming tent city in the city center, complained of scant help on the ground.