Stampede kills 30 at Haiti fort

A stampede at an historical fortress in Haiti killed at least 30 people on Saturday, local media reported, with the government expressing "deep sadness."

Officials said in a statement posted on the Haiti government's Facebook page that the incident happened Saturday at the Citadelle Laferriere in Milot during "a tourist activity bringing together many young people."

Jean Henry Petit, head of the civil protection office in Northern Haiti, told local newspaper Le Nouvelliste that at least 30 people were killed at the 19th-century fortress designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Petit said the toll could rise, however, due to the large number of people reported missing.
Several dozen people were also injured and taken to hospital, the outlet reported without giving an exact figure.

Initial reports said visitors were crammed against a single entrance and a scuffle broke out between people trying to leave and enter the site.

AFP has contacted the Haiti government for comment.

The government urged citizens to "be calm and cautious" while it investigates.

"All competent authorities are fully mobilized and placed on maximum alert to provide, without delay, the necessary assistance, care and support," it added in its statement.

Agence France-Presse