London, Jan 27 ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, on Monday pledged a million dollars to help build houses in Port-au-Prince following the massive earthquake that struck the Haitian capital earlier this month.

The money will help relief efforts in Port-au-Prince following the devaqstating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck on January 12, killing more than 100,000 people. Tens of thousands of Haitians are said to be in need of urgent assistance.

ArcelorMittal chairman Lakshmi Mittal said: "The painful images and news of the earthquake in Haiti have shocked us all. The scale of the devastation is beyond comprehension."

"I would like to express my deepest sympathies to all the people affected by this tragedy. I hope with our help, and the help of others, that we will be able to bring support in rebuilding the country and aid those who have suffered."

The announcement Monday comes after ArcelorMittal pledged $100,000 Jan 14 to support the relief efforts of Medecins sans frontires (MSF), an international non-government organisation.

The increased donation will be given in both cash and kind, offering assistance in new housing projects to rebuild Haiti, said the company that has supported relief efforts after earthquakes in Turkey, China and Italy, a cyclone in Myanmar in 2008 and Hurricane Katrina in the US in 2005.