A boat carrying over 80 Haitian migrants caught fire at sea, resulting in at least 40 fatalities, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Port-au-Prince.
The boat departed from Fort Saint-Michel in Haiti’s north and was headed for the Turks and Caicos Islands, the IOM said in a statement.
Forty-one people survived the fire and were rescued by the Haitian coast guard. They are currently receiving care and support provided by the IOM, and 11 of them were taken to the nearest hospital, the statement said.
Passengers on the boat had used matches to light candles in a ritual to ask for safe passage, leading gasoline-filled drums to catch fire and explode, Jean-Henri Petit, who heads the civil protection office in northern Haiti, told the Miami Herald.
The fire likely started when two drums of gasoline ignited, Henry-Petit said. Passengers were drinking rum and whiskey, according to a witness, which may have come into contact with the flammable substance, causing the fire.
On Friday, the police of the North American nation announced they were searching for the organisers of the clandestine trip and have launched an investigation to gather information to make arrests.
Rampant Violence Continues In Haiti
The incident comes as rampant violence continues to take hold of Haiti amid political turmoil. Armed gangs launched coordinated attacks in February, taking control of more than two dozen police stations and opening fire on Haiti’s main airport, which closed for nearly three months.
“This devastating event highlights the risks faced by children, women and men migrating through irregular routes, demonstrating the crucial need for safe and legal pathways for migration,” said Grégoire Goodstein, IOM’s chief of mission in Haiti.
Nearly 580,000 people have been displaced in the country, according to the U.N, and more than 86,000 migrants have been forcibly returned to Haiti by neighbouring countries this year.
(With AP Inputs)
