Stampede kills 25 in Haiti
Following a stampede at a mountaintop fortress that killed 25 people over the weekend, two state officials in Haiti were dismissed from their posts on Tuesday.
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.”
The stampede occurred on Saturday at La Citadelle, a historic fortress and tourist site in northern Haiti, where an event organized by a local DJ on social media was held.
The event was also promoted via loudspeakers on a vehicle driven through neighborhoods.
Dozens of people were injured in the stampede. Officials said late Monday that 30 of those who were hospitalized had since been released.
Nine suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, including five police officers.
