Large Gathering Leaves Tens Dead in Haiti

(MENAFN) Around 30 people were killed and dozens more injured Saturday after a deadly stampede erupted during a mass youth gathering at the historic Citadelle Laferriere fortress in northern Haiti, local media reported Sunday.

The tragedy unfolded as thousands converged on the iconic landmark near the city of Cap-Haitien for an event that had been widely promoted across social media platforms, drawing a crowd that far exceeded the site's capacity, authorities said.

Patrick Almonord, deputy mayor of Cap-Haitien, described the incident in a statement as a crowd surge of "extreme gravity" that rapidly spiraled into a fatal stampede. He cautioned that the death toll could still rise as rescue operations continued.

According to Haitian media, witness accounts and images circulating online pointed to a critical infrastructure failure at the site — only a single access point had been open for both entry and exit, creating severe bottlenecks as the crowd swelled beyond control.

Victims were rushed to nearby hospitals for emergency treatment, while a joint delegation of local officials and civil protection teams was deployed to assist in rescue and relief efforts on the ground.

The event had been amplified by multiple social media influencers, authorities noted, contributing to attendance levels the ancient fortress was wholly unprepared to absorb.

Authorities have yet to confirm whether event organizers had secured official authorization from the Institute for the Preservation of National Heritage, the body responsible for managing the Citadelle Laferriere site.

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