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The US military has begun airdropping food and water supplies into earthquake-hit Haiti. Some 14,000 ready-to-eat meals and 15,000 litres of water were dropped north-east of the capital Port-au-Prince, the US said. It had earlier said airdrops were too risky but congestion at the airport has hampered aid distribution. The US is now considering airdrops across Haiti. More than 2,000 US Marines are set to join 1,000 US troops in Haiti. They are equipped with heavy-lifting and earth-moving equipment, a dozen helicopters and medical support facilities. Their arrival comes amid widespread violence and looting. However, UN humanitarian chief John Holmes played down worries over security, saying that despite incidents of violence, the overall situation was calm. And the leading US general in Haiti, Lt Gen Ken Keen, said there was currently less violence in the capital Port-au-Prince - already a troubled city - than there had been before the earthquake. Earlier, Gen Keen said up to 200,000 people might have died in the disaster, which he said was of "epic proportions". Aid workers are starting to expand their efforts to earthquake-affected areas outside the capital, including Leogane, Gressier, Petit-Goave and the coastal town of Jacmel. The US Air Force C-17 dropped the relief supplies on Monday into a secured area five miles (8km) north-east of Port-au-Prince, US Army spokeswoman Maj Tanya Bradsher was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. She said the aircraft had flown out of Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. Last week, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said airdrops had been ruled out because they might do more harm than good. Mr Gates warned that they could trigger riots if there was no proper structure on the ground to distribute supplies Delivering aid to the centre of Port-au-Prince is getting much more difficult, as anger fuelled by hunger reaches boiling point, and military escorts are needed for lorries carrying supplies, the BBC's David Loyn reports from the city. Lt Cdr Walter Matthews of the US Navy told the BBC he understood the frustration among Haitians, but added that the aid effort was improving. Former US President Bill Clinton, who is a UN special envoy for Haiti, said co-operation between American and UN troops was improving the earthquake relief effort. "The UN provides security and the Americans provide the logistics and distribution. They know how to do it. So we are getting there," Mr Clinton told the BBC during a visit to Port-au-Prince on Monday. France's co-operation minister, Alain Joyandet, had suggested on Monday that the US was "occupying" Haiti and urged the UN to "clarify" the US role. Port-au-Prince's port was badly damaged by last week's earthquake, and many roads are still blocked by corpses and debris, hampering the delivery of fuel and other supplies. The provision of clean water is still a major concern. Brian Feagans, of the aid group CARE, said: "People can survive a few days without food but we must try to avoid major outbreaks of waterborne disease." Several agencies complained at the weekend about not being able to get aid through the heavily congested airport, which is being run by the US military. But Mr Holmes said that initial issues were being resolved, with the introduction through the UN World Food Programme - which is currently feeding 100,000 Haitians - of a system to prioritise humanitarian flights. As hopes of finding survivors fade, Mr Holmes told reporters that there were now 43 search and rescue teams on the ground, with 1,700 people involved. On Tuesday, UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said 90 people had been pulled out alive since the earthquake and rescue efforts were now concentrated outside of the capital. At least 70,000 people who died in the earthquake have already been buried. Meanwhile, Haitian President Rene Preval has asked donors also to focus on Haiti's long-term needs. "We cannot just cure the wounds of the earthquake. We must develop the economy, agriculture, education, health and reinforce democratic institutions," he said. On Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he would recommend that the Security Council boost UN troop numbers in Haiti by 2,000 for six months, and UN police numbers by 1,500. The UN has launched an appeal for $562m (�346m) intended to help three million people for six months. European Union nations have pledged more than 420m euros ($604m; �320m) from the EU budget to assist Haiti. The British government has said it will treble its aid to Haiti to �20m ($32m).