Port-au-Prince, Haiti  - Haitian President Rene Preval said the weakness of the state and the flouting of building regulations were responsible for a school collapse that cost the lives of at least 93 children.

"The anarchy in the construction sector is the root of the tragedy," Preval told Radio Metropole Monday night.

The lawlessness was a result of the weakness of the state, which also caused lives to be endangered in natural catastrophes, he said.

This year, about 800 Haitians died in tropical storms, often being buried underneath their collapsed homes.

Port-au-Prince - Haitian President Rene Preval has designated econom