Stampede at historic fortress in Haiti kills 25 and injures dozens
Authorities in Haiti probe ‘severe overcrowding’ at Citadelle Laferriere following mountaintop crush
A stampede at a mountaintop fortress popular with tourists in northern Haiti has killed at least 25 people and injured dozens of others, authorities said, revising an earlier, higher number of fatalities.
Municipal authorities in the city of Cap-Haitien in a statement said that Saturday’s stampede in Milot “resulted in numerous cases of asphyxiation, trampling and loss of consciousness”. Authorities said dozens of people who attended traditional festivities at the historical site were taken to hospitals while many others were reported missing.
“According to preliminary information ... a situation of severe overcrowding, linked in particular to deficiencies in crowd management measures, triggered a stampede,” local authorities said in the statement.
The Haitian National Police in a separate statement said it had opened an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident. The investigation led authorities to update the death toll to 25 fatalities. Autopsies were under way on Sunday.
Police said 30 people remained hospitalised. The agency also asked the population to continue to cooperate with authorities and avoid spreading rumours.
Haiti’s government offered its condolences to the families of the victims of the incident at the Citadelle Laferriere.