Ten US church activists have been charged with child abduction and criminal conspiracy after they were allegedly found taking 33 Haitian children out of the country.

The group, from the charity New Life Children's Refuge, claims it was in the process of rescuing abandoned children and taking them to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic following last month's devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Around 200,000 people are believed to have been killed in the quake, with another 1.5 million left homeless, and the country's prime minister has warned the case involving the Americans is now causing a "distraction" from the aid effort.

On Thursday it was announced the group had been charged over the incident last week, and their case has now been sent to an investigating judge to decide on how to proceed.

If convicted they could face lengthy jail sentences.

The Americans, five women and five men, were detained last Friday on the Haiti border. Their claims they were taking children to an orphanage were rejected by Haitian officials who claim they did not have permission and that a number of people have since come forward claiming to parents of the children.

The massive international relief effort in Haiti is continuing to battle to overcome the almost non-existent infrastructure in the country to deliver essential aid to those in need.