At least 3 dead in Haiti after boat catches fire during escape attempt

PORT-AU-PRINCE — At least three people were dead and up to 40 others remain missing after a boat in the waters off northern Haiti caught fire with up to 80 Haitians on board trying to escape to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a government official said Friday.

Civil Protection official Jean Henry-Petit said 41 people had been rescued by the Haitian coast guard. The dead included the captain of the boat, according to Arnold Jean, a spokesperson for the police in Cap-Haïtien. Eleven migrants were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment, according to the U.N. National Office for Migration.

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. He also said passengers were carrying candles for a voodoo ritual, a common practice while leaving port to ensure a safe journey.

The police said the migrants were heading toward Providenciales, an island in the Caribbean archipelago the Turks and Caicos Islands.

On Friday, the Haitian police announced they were searching for the organizers of the clandestine trip and have launched an investigation to gather information to make arrests.

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 neighboring countries this year.

Since February, the Haitian Coast Guard in the north has reported an increase in attempts and departures by boat. Coast Guards from the United States, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Jamaica, have also reported a growing number of boats coming from Haiti.

“Haiti’s socio-economic situation is in agony,” said Goodstein. “The extreme violence over the past months has only brought Haitians to resort to desperate measures even more.”