Haiti: Boat fire kills at least 40 migrants, UN agency says

Forty-one others were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard, with some now receiving hospital treatment.

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The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says 41 others were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard.

The vessel was travelling from Cap-Haitien to the Turks and Caicos Islands, more than 220km (137 miles) away, the IOM said.

The exact cause of the fire is not yet clear, but a local official told Reuters that people on the boat were lighting candles in a ritual to ask for safe passage, leading gasoline-filled drums to catch fire.

The injured are receiving care provided by the IOM, and 11 of them were taken to the nearest hospital, the agency said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cldy9k2v329o

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