At least three 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 at least 31 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.

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.

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 this 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 's capital and beyond 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.

Since then, nearly 580,000 people have been displaced in the country, according to the U.N.