BBC News with David Austin

The US military is increasing its operations in Haiti to help improve security and speed up the distribution of aid to survivors of last week's earthquake. Twenty helicopters carrying soldiers touched down near the shattered presidential palace in the capital Port-au-Prince. The troops unloaded aid supplies on the palace lawn then moved them on to hospitals nearby. Captain Steve McInerney, who's based on the aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson, said crowds were clearly desperate to get the food and water his teams were dropping, but that no one had resorted to violence.

"We control the vast majority the helicopter drops out in town in support of the humanitarian assistance, and we have not encountered any violence or any threats from the crowd. They follow instructions; they do rush the aircraft which can be expected. But we've had no issues at all with the crowds in Haiti."

The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to send 3,500 more UN peacekeepers to Haiti to help support earthquake relief efforts. There are already more than 9,000 UN security personnel in the country. Barbara Plett reports.

The Security Council voted to dispatch an extra 2,000 troops and 1,500 police to Haiti for a period of six months. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said they sent a clear signal that the world was with Haiti, and called on member states to respond quickly. Peacekeeping officials say the Dominican Republic has already pledged 800 troops. The extra security personnel will be used mostly to escort aid convoys and secure a number of supply routes overland. Ban Ki-moon also told journalists that capacity at the small and damaged airport was improving and one of the main ports would be ready to begin operating soon.