By DPA,
Port-au-Prince : A funeral service in the ruins of Port-au-Prince cathedral Wednesday included ceremonies to remember the 230,000 people killed in a quake that devastated Haiti a year ago.
Thousands gathered for mass at the site of the cathedral, which was destroyed in the Jan 12, 2010 quake along with much of the city and its surroundings.
Haitians and members of international aid organisations marked the anniversary in other cities and towns.
At 4.53 p.m. (2153 GMT), the precise time of the disaster a year ago, the whole country is set to come to a halt, with white balloons being let off in areas devastated by the quake.
Former US president Bill Clinton and Haitian-American artist Wyclef Jean are among prominent personalities who are in Haiti for the anniversary.