 The 2010 Haiti earthquake ( French : Séisme de 2010 à Haïti ; Haitian Creole : Tranblemanntè 12 janvye 2010 nan peyi Ayiti ) was a catastrophic magnitude 7 @.@ 0 Mw earthquake , with an epicenter near the town of Léogâne ( Ouest ) , approximately 25 kilometres ( 16 mi ) west of Port @-@ au @-@ Prince , Haiti 's capital . The earthquake occurred at 16 : 53 local time ( 21 : 53 UTC ) on Tuesday , 12 January 2010 . 
