Haiti marks 7th anniversary of devastating quake

Haiti on Thursday marked the seventh anniversary of the devastating 2010 earthquake that toppled much of the capital Port-au-Prince and killed tens of thousands of people.

The government declared Jan. 12 as a "national day of reflection and awareness on the vulnerability of Haiti to risks and disasters."

Haiti's interim President Jocelerme Privert addressed the nation and laid a wreath at a monument to the victims of the quake. A requiem mass was organized at the St. James Cathedral.

According to Haiti's government, at least 220,000 people were killed following the collapse or severe damage of 250,000 homes and 30,000 commercial buildings.

The Presidential Palace and National Assembly were among the buildings leveled or severely damaged.

With at least two fault lines running under the Caribbean country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, "the question is unfortunately not whether another earthquake will hit Haiti, but when, and to be prepared for it," the Haiti Libre daily cited the ambassador of the European Union as saying. Endi