PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A crowd crush at the mountaintop Citadelle Laferrière in northern Haiti has left at least 25 people dead and dozens injured, authorities said, lowering an earlier, higher estimate of fatalities.
Municipal officials in Cap-Haïtien said the incident, which occurred during traditional festivities in Milot, produced numerous cases of asphyxiation, trampling and loss of consciousness. Dozens of attendees were transported to hospitals and others were initially reported missing.
Local authorities blamed severe overcrowding and weaknesses in crowd-management measures for triggering the panic that turned into a deadly stampede.
The Haitian National Police opened an investigation to determine the exact cause and said autopsies were underway Sunday. Investigators later revised the confirmed death toll to 25. Police reported about 30 people still hospitalized and urged the public to cooperate with authorities and avoid spreading rumors. The government extended condolences to the victims’ families.
Some bodies remained at the Citadelle site on Sunday. Among the victims was a student who had earned a place on a school trip reserved for top pupils. Her brother, Donaldson Jean, said he carried her covered body and mourned the loss, recalling that she spent long hours studying for a local “genius” program and often asked him to help with homework before dinner.