The Impressive TimesPanama City, July 20 : Tragedy struck off the coast of northern Haiti as a boat carrying over 80 migrants caught fire, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 individuals. The incident, reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), occurred during a journey from Labadee to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a perilous 250-kilometer voyage.
According to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Haitian National Office for Migration confirmed the boat’s departure and subsequent tragic outcome. The survivors, numbering 41, were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard and are now receiving urgent medical attention, including food, water, and psychosocial support.
Gregoire Goodstein, IOM’s chief of mission in Haiti, emphasized the dangers faced by migrants taking irregular routes, stressing the critical need for safer and legally sanctioned migration channels. This incident underscores the ongoing humanitarian crisis surrounding migration in the region, with over 86,000 migrants forcibly returned to Haiti from neighboring countries this year alone.
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