Haitian President blames disorder for school tragedies

By Melissa Bryant
Reporter~SKNVibes.com

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – HAITIAN President René Prèval has blamed the recent collapse of two schools in the capital on what he said was a half century of disorder in the country.

According to Caribbean Net News, the Haitian leader stated that “what happened is an example of the disorder which has spread in this country over the past 50 years; that is, houses being built without any rules and roads without pavements while politicians fight among themselves”.

He rendered these remarks at a recent ceremony at the National Palace to honour rescue workers who devoted their efforts to pulling victims from the rubble.

Ronaldo Charilus, dubbed ‘Ronaldo the Hero’ by the Haitian media, was celebrated as a national hero for saving the lives of several dozen children trapped under the debris. Several other rescue workers were also recognised for their service at the ceremony.

Prèval pledged to repair ramshackle buildings across Haiti.“Today the whole country is calling for action. We are counting the bodies and it is time together to rebuild the country. We are going to start and others will have to continue. We need stability and continuity in this country,” he said.

He also noted that the government would bear the costs of the funerals of the dead as well as the medical care of those injured in the two accidents.

Within the past week and a half, the La Promesse School and the Grace Divine School collapsed, killing almost 100 students and injuring over 150.