At least 30 dead in stampede at Haiti’s Citadelle Laferriere

At least 30 people were killed in a stampede over the weekend at a mountaintop fortress in northern Haiti that is popular with tourists.

The incident at the Citadelle Laferriere, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, occurred during annual festivities which had drawn a large crowd of locals and international tourists.

Culture Minister Emmanuel Menard said that heavy rainfall combined with overcrowding led to people being trampled and suffocated.

In a press statement, Menard confirmed that 13 bodies were recovered at the tourist destination while another 17 had been taken to a nearby hospital. However, the confirmed death toll may rise in the coming hours due to reports of a high number of missing persons.

He said the injured are receiving medical care and a rescue team is searching for those missing.

Menard also said that security forces had been deployed to secure the area and that all visits to the fortress would be suspended in the coming weeks.

The government of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime expressed its condolences for the loss of life, extended sympathies to the victims and their families, and urged the public to remain calm.

“All relevant authorities are fully mobilized and on high alert to provide without delay the necessary assistance, care and support to those affected and their loved ones,” the press release said.