At Least 40 Haitians Killed in Boat Fire, UN Migration Agency Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - At least 40 Haitians have been killed at sea and several people were injured after their boat caught fire, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
The boat, which was carrying more than 80 people, departed from Fort Saint-Michel in northern Haiti on Wednesday for the Turks and Caicos Islands, a 250km (155-mile) journey, the IOM said on Friday, citing the country’s migration authority.
The boat caught fire off the coast of Cap-Haitien in Haiti’s north, according to the United Nations migration agency, which said 41 people were rescued by the Haitian coastguard. Eleven people were being treated for injuries, including burns.
People on the boat used matches to light candles in a ritual to ask for safe passage, leading gasoline-filled drums to catch fire and explode, Jean-Henry Petit, who heads the civil protection office in northern Haiti, told the Miami Herald newspaper.
Haiti has, for years, been roiled by violence with armed gangs fighting for control of territory. In February, gangs launched coordinated attacks in the capital, Port-au-Prince, taking control of police stations and key access roads, opening fire at the main airport, and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee, Al Jazeera reported.
More than 570,000 Haitians have been internally displaced as a result of the violence, according to the UN.