At least 30 people have been killed in a stampede at a popular tourist site in Haiti on Saturday.
The shocking incident took place on April 11 during an annual Easter gathering at the Laferrière Citadel, a Unesco World Heritage site, Jean Henri Petit, head of civil protection for Haiti's Nord department, said, warning the death toll could rise.
Confirming the current death toll, Emmanuel Menard, the country's culture minister, said, "The injured are currently receiving the necessary medical care, and a rescue team is searching for any missing persons."
Menard said the fortress, which was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1982, would remain closed to visitors until further notice.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said the incident occurred "during a tourist event attended by many young people" and that an investigation has been launched.
The site, a large 19th-century fortress built shortly after the Caribbean country's independence from France, had been packed with students and visitors after an event commemorating the site's founding was advertised on social media.
The stampede was said to have started near the entrance to the site and was exacerbated by the onset of heavy rain.
Haiti has experienced various disasters in recent years, including a 2024 fuel tank explosion that killed two dozen people, another fuel tank blast in 2021 that claimed the lives of 90 people and an earthquake that left about 2,000 people dead that same year.
