PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A stampede at a mountaintop fortress popular with tourists in northern Haiti has killed at least 25 people and injured dozens, authorities said, revising an earlier, higher number of fatalities.
Municipal authorities in the city of Cap-Haïtien said Saturday’s stampede in Milot “resulted in numerous cases of asphyxiation, trampling and loss of consciousness.” Dozens who attended traditional festivities at the historical site were taken to hospitals while many others were reported missing.
“According to preliminary information … a situation of severe overcrowding, linked in particular to deficiencies in crowd management measures, triggered a stampede,” local authorities said.
The Haitian National Police said it opened an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident and that autopsies were underway Sunday. The probe led authorities to update the death toll to 25 fatalities.
Police said 30 people remained hospitalized and asked the public to cooperate with authorities and avoid spreading rumors. Haiti’s government offered condolences to the victims’ families.
Some victims’ bodies remained at the Citadelle Laferrière site on Sunday. Donaldson Jean said his sister had traveled there after earning a place on a school field trip for top students. He sobbed after carrying her body, which had been covered with a white tarp.
“Morning and night, she was studying for the genius program,” he said. “She would come and ask me to help with homework before dinner. Look how (I) lost her.”