At least 40 migrants died after boat catches fire off Haiti’s coast

At least 40 people were killed after the boat they were on board caught fire off the coast of Haiti earlier this week, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said, citing local authorities, CNN reported.

The vessel carrying more than 80 migrants departed from Haiti on Wednesday and was heading to Turks and Caicos, the IOM said on Friday, adding that Haiti‘s Coast Guard rescued 41 survivors.

According to CNN, IOM‘s chief of mission in Haiti, Gregoire Goodstein, blamed the tragedy on Haiti‘s spiralling security crisis and the lack of “safe and legal pathways for migration.”

He said, “Haiti‘s socio-economic situation is in agony. The extreme violence over the past months has only brought Haitians to resort to desperate measures even more.”

Haiti is dealing with gang violence, a collapsing health system, and a lack of access to essential supplies, resulting in many Haitians taking dangerous journeys to move out of the country.

Earlier this year, the situation in Haiti escalated after gang warfare exploded, forcing the resignation of the then-government.

According to the IOM‘s data, the number of migration attempts by boat from Haiti has witnessed a rise since then. However, the situation in Haiti has not stopped neighbouring governments from repatriating Haitian migrants by the tens of thousands, CNN reported.

In its statement, the IOM said, “More than 86,000 migrants have been forcibly returned to Haiti by neighbouring countries this year. In March, despite a surge in violence and the closure of airports throughout the country, forced returns increased by 46 per cent, reaching 13,000 forced returns in March alone.”

In recent weeks, the appointment of new Prime Minister Garry Conille and the arrival of several hundred foreign forces to bolster Haiti‘s National Police have offered new hope for addressing the security situation in the country, according to CNN report.

The United Nations Security Council-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, led by Kenya, will now start operations in Haiti‘s capital, Port-au-Prince. (ANI)