At least 40 individuals perished at sea after their vessel, carrying Haitian migrants, caught fire. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in Port-au-Prince on Friday that over 80 people were aboard when it departed from Fort Saint-Michel and was en route to the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to Haiti's migration authority.
Fortunately, forty-one individuals survived the ordeal through efforts of the Haitian coast guard and are presently under medical attention, with some being transported to a local hospital by IOM, as per their statement. The cause was linked to passengers igniting matches on candles in a ritual for safe journey, which led to an explosion due to nearby gasoline cans.
Jean-Henri Petit of the civil protection office noted that such tragic incidents underscore the dangers encountered by migrants traveling irregularly. Gregoire Goodstein from IOM emphasized how intensified gang violence in Haiti has led many citizens to take desperate actions for escape.
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