Bayan News – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that following a fire on a boat carrying migrants off the northern coast of Haiti, 40 migrants have died.
The agency said on Saturday (July 20) that the Haitian Coast Guard rescued around 41 migrants, 11 of whom were injured in the fire.
According to the agency, the boat was carrying 81 migrants from the Fort-Saint-Michel islands in northern Haiti towards the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Jean Henry Petit, the head of the civil protection office in northern Haiti, told reporters that the incident occurred when the migrants lit candles for a “safe crossing” ceremony.
He said the lighting of the candles caused the boat’s fuel to catch fire and explode.
Meanwhile, Guerline Jozef, the head of Haiti’s migration office, said: “This devastating incident shows the dangers that Haitian people face on migration routes.”
The migration official stressed that Haitians need vital support to access safe and legal migration pathways.
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