Fire on a Boat in the Haitian Coast Leaves 40 Migrants Dead
Shipwreck in the Haitian Shores, July 2024 Photo: @PL
July 19, 2024 Hour: 6:23 pm
The barge was destined for the islands of Turks and Caicos about 250 kilometers from the point of departure of the barge, Labadee.
On Friday, a boat carrying approximately 80 migrants caught fire off the coast of Cap Haïtien, northern Haiti. The shipwreck left about 40 dead and dozens injured.
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The barge was destined for the islands of Turks and Caicos about 250 kilometers from the point of departure of the barge, Labadee.
“This devastating event highlights the risks faced by children, women and men migrating through irregular channels, demonstrating the crucial need for safe and legal migration routes,” said Grégoire Goodstein, IOM Country Chief of Mission, in the statement.
Among the migrants on the boat, at least 41 were rescued alive by the Haitian coast guard and are currently receiving medical care, food, water and psychosocial support from IOM, the statement said.
Eleven migrants were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment, including burns.
Haiti’s socio-economic situation is dying, Goodstein said, stressing that the extreme violence of recent months “has only spurred Haitians to resort even more to desperate measures”.
The lack of economic opportunities, the collapse of the health system, the closure of schools and the absence of prospects are leading many people to see emigration as the only way to survive, he added.
For the vast majority of Haitians, regular migration is an extremely difficult journey to contemplate, so many consider these clandestine trips as their only option, “a particularly life-threatening option in most cases,” IOM recalls.
Autor: CC
Fuente: La Jornada-EFE
