(12 Jan 2015) Sombre Haitians gathered on Monday to remember the devastating January 2010 earthquake that killed relatives and neighbours while shattering much of the overcrowded capital and surrounding area in one of the worst natural disasters of modern times.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck just before 5 p.m. (local time) on January 12, 2010, collapsing concrete buildings by the tens of thousands in densely populated, impoverished Port-Au-Prince.
The government said more than 300,000 people were killed but the exact toll is unknown because there was no systematic effort to count bodies amid the chaos and destruction.
On the northern outskirts of the city, where authorities quickly buried thousands of people in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Haitian President Michel Martelly and First Lady, Sophia, placed white flowers before a large chunk of rubble set on a concrete pedestal.
The site is being developed as a memorial for those who lost their lives.
As he attended the event to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the quake, Martelly confirmed that he had forged a last-minute accord with leaders of four opposition parties after days of closed-door negotiations, possibly creating a viable path to ending a political standoff stalling long-delayed elections.
Martelly and opposition lawmakers have been embroiled in a political showdown over legislative elections due since 2011, when he was supposed to call a vote for a majority of Senate seats, the entire Chamber of Deputies and local offices.
The electoral law must still be approved by lawmakers and an emergency session was scheduled for later on Monday.
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