State officials among 9 people arrested over deadly stampede at Haiti citadel

By Rédaction Africanews and AP

Two state officials in Haiti have been arrested after a stampede in the town of Milot that killed at least 30 people.

Haiti is in mourning after a stampede at a mountaintop fortress over the weekend left at least 30 people dead and dozens more injured.

Ministers of Defence, Culture, Tourism and Interior joined a government delegation to the UNESCO listed citadel where an investigation is underway.

The Ministry of Culture and Communication said in a statement that it fired a director with Haiti’s Institute for the Preservation of National Heritage, accusing him of “serious negligence.” Also dismissed was a director with the ministry, which officials accused of “biased passivity.”

Nine people have been arrested, including five police officers. Two others were identified as employees of Haiti’s Institute for the Preservation of National Heritage, which oversees La Citadelle.

Eno Zephirin, a prosecutor in the city of Cap-Haitien, told Radiotélévision Caraïbes on Tuesday that authorities are investigating what caused the stampede.

The stampede took place on Saturday at an event organised by a local DJ and promoted on social media. Local authorities said overcrowding and a lack of crowd management triggered a stampede.

Eyewitness reports say police used tear gas on the crowd after a fight broke out, causing people to panic.

Haiti’s prime minister expressed deep sadness and declared three days of national mourning.