At least 40 dead after a boat caught fire while travelling from Haiti to Turks and Caicos Islands

At least 40 people have died after a boat caught fire while travelling from Haiti to the Turks & Caicos Islands.

The International Organization for Migration said that at least half the 80 capacity of the vessel - all said to be Haitians - died amid the tragedy on Wednesday.

The boat departed Fort Saint-Michel but did not make it to the Caribbean island, some 250km (155 miles) away, catching fire while still in Haitian waters.

Haiti’s coastguard said that eleven people were being treated for injuries, including burns, after the fire began in Cap-Haitien - to the island’s north.

Jean-Henry Petit, who leads the civil protection office in northern Haiti, told the Miami Herald newspaper that it is a custom to light candles for a safe passage.

He said that these could have led to gasoline-filled drums catching fire and exploding.

Haiti has struggled in recent years with armed gangs causing violence, especially in the capital Port-au-Prince.

This week hundreds of Kenyan police were flown into Haiti to help bring stability.

Gregoire Goodstein, of the International Organization for Migration, said: “This devastating event highlights the risks faced by children, women, and men migrating through irregular routes, demonstrating the crucial need for safe and legal pathways for migration.

“Haiti’s socioeconomic situation is in agony. The extreme violence over the past months has only brought Haitians to resort to desperate measures even more.”

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