At least 40 migrants have died after their boat caught fire off the northern coast of Haiti, according to a UN agency on Friday. The Haitian police attributed the explosion to a voodoo ritual that went wrong.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the Haitian Coast Guard rescued 41 survivors, 11 of whom were hospitalized, including some with burns.
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“At least 40 migrants have died, and several others were injured,” the IOM stated.
Police spokesperson Arold Jean explained that the fire started when a passenger lit a candle to begin a voodoo ritual. Survivors told local media that the ceremony was intended to bring luck and help the boat avoid interception by the coast guard.
“This devastating event highlights the risks faced by children, women, and men migrating through irregular routes,” said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM’s chief of mission in Haiti.
The boat, carrying over 80 people, had departed from the port of Labadee on Wednesday, heading to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a 150-mile (240-kilometre) journey, the IOM reported, citing Haiti’s National Office for Migration.
“The search continues with the aim of finding other survivors,” Jean added, noting that an investigation had been launched to “identify and dismantle the networks that organize these clandestine voyages.”
Migration from Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has surged for months as thousands flee escalating violence from criminal gangs controlling large territories.
These gangs have attacked prisons, destroyed numerous police stations, and invaded the main airport, undermining the government’s control over the country.
“Haiti’s socioeconomic situation is in agony,” Goodstein said. “The extreme violence over the past months has driven Haitians to resort to increasingly desperate measures.”
Hundreds of Kenyan police officers have been deployed in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, as part of an international effort to stabilize the nation amidst political, social, and economic chaos.
Newly appointed Prime Minister Gary Conille, a former UN official, welcomed the Kenyan contingent and pledged to launch a police operation against the gangs.
Criminal groups control 80 percent of the capital, with residents facing threats of murder, rape, and kidnapping for ransom.
As emigration increases, the Haitian Coast Guard in the north has observed a rising number of boat departures, the IOM reported. The United States, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Jamaica have intercepted a growing number of boats from Haiti.
This year, more than 86,000 migrants have been forcibly returned to Haiti by neighboring countries, according to the IOM. The country currently has nearly 600,000 internally displaced people, a 60 percent increase since March, based on UN figures.
