Haiti: Tragedy at Sea, 40 Haitian migrants dead as voodoo ritual backfired

At least 40 migrants have died after a boat caught fire as it made its way along the northern coast of Haiti, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is suspected to be caused by a voodoo ritual gone wrong.

The Haitian Coast Guard was able to rescue 41 survivors, 11 of whom are hospitalized following severe burns and other related injuries. The failed voodoo ceremony unleashed the tragedy, a telling sign of the desperate steps Haitians are making to flee the surging violence and chaos back home.

A passenger started a voodoo ceremony by lighting a candle in the hope it would bring him good luck and that the boat would not be stopped by the coast guard, police spokesman Arold Jean said. Survivors were quoted as saying the ceremony was meant to seek protection during the journey.

The boat, originating from the Port at Labadee, was heading to the Turks and Caicos Islands 150 miles, or 240 kilometers away, with more than 80 aboard.

“This tragic event highlights the risks children, women, and men face when taking irregular migration routes,” said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM chief of mission in Haiti. He focused on the dangerous circumstances that are pushing people out of Haiti as they desperately try to leave the deteriorating socioeconomic condition within the nation.

This poorest country in the Americas has seen a recent increase in migration because criminal gangs have overtaken significant territories within this country. They have been able to blow up jails, police precincts, and, most notably, the country’s principal airport, which has made the government look helpless in maintaining the rule of law.

Most of the time, the violence has compelled many Haitians to take desperate measures, including risking their lives at sea. Efforts to stabilize Haiti saw a new development in the presence of hundreds of Kenyan police officers in Port-au-Prince, an initiative that would restore order in the capital.

Just one week in office, Prime Minister Gary Conille received the police officers and pledged to restore peace by cracking down on gangs that control 80% of the capital.

Countries like the United States, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Jamaica have expressed that they have recently noticed a growing count of boats originating from Haiti.