Alberta couple return safely from Haiti

A southern Alberta pastor and his wife spent the night after the massive earthquake in Haiti in a car, listening to agonizing cries in the darkness.

"All night long you just heard people screaming and wailing outside.  There's no sirens, there's no help there. There's no street lights, it's just total darkness," Ralph Molyneux of Lethbridge, Alta., told CBC News on Friday.

Molyneux and his wife, Cindy, had arrived in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday as part of a mission for Compassion Canada, a charity that helps children in poor countries.

The quake struck as the couple were in a 20-passenger van driving through the city.

Molyneux said the roads heaved "like a wave," as buildings crumbled and people scattered for safety. It felt like being sloshed around in a big boat, the pastor added.

It took the van more than four hours to make its way to the headquarters of Compassion Canada, which is located across the street from the Canadian embassy.

"As we drove along it was just like a tour of this devastation," recalled Molyneux. "Looking around and thinking if another quake hits, we're in a bad spot. There's so many people here. If something were to fall on us, we would all be history."

The couple spent the night in a car in the embassy's parking lot.

The next morning, a Canadian military plane took them to the Dominican Republic.

The airport was chaotic as troops and aid groups tried to get organized, observed Molyneux.

The couple reached Montreal safely on Friday morning and returned home to Lethbridge that evening, where Molyneux leads the Victory Church.