Citadelle Laferrière Crowd Crush

An exceptionally large crowd, containing many students, children and young visitors, assembled at the fortress during the traditional post-Holy Week visiting period and for a paid gathering promoted through TikTok and mobile loudspeakers. Reports describe severe congestion at a single narrow access point used by people entering and leaving. Rain worsened movement conditions. People were compressed, lost consciousness, suffocated or were trampled. The Haitian National Police subsequently revised the initial death estimate of approximately 30 to 25. (Reuters)

Location: At or immediately inside the principal entrance to the Citadelle Laferrière—also called Citadelle Henri or Citadelle Henry—above Milot, Nord Department, Haiti. The fortress forms part of the National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers. (Reuters)

Fatalities: 25, based on the revised Haitian National Police count: 12 bodies were recorded at the Citadelle and 13 at the Milot hospital. Initial reports gave approximately or at least 30 deaths. (HaitiLibre.com)

Injuries: Dozens were injured. Police reported approximately 30 people receiving hospital treatment on 12 April; the Miami Herald later reported 33 injured and hospitalised. AP reported on 14 April that 30 hospitalised patients had been released. (HaitiLibre.com)

The strongest multi-source explanation identifies a single-gate bottleneck, simultaneous inward and outward movement, severe crowding and rain. A completed final public investigation was not identified in the supplied report.

Civil Protection reporting obtained by AyiboPost said only one access gate was open for both entry and exit, producing severe congestion. One group was attempting to enter as another tried to leave. A disturbance then developed, followed by a rapid crowd movement involving asphyxiation, trampling and loss of consciousness. (AyiboPost)

A preliminary Ministry of Culture report obtained by the Miami Herald similarly said access had been restricted to one gate, partly for revenue control; there was no structured crowd-management system; people were trying to exit as others forced their way in; and rain intensified the crush. The report characterised the event as the result of a series of structural failures rather than an isolated occurrence. (Miami Herald)

The event associated with the crowd was promoted as Citadel Vibes 3.0. AP reported that it was publicised by a local DJ through TikTok and vehicle-mounted loudspeakers, cost nearly US$8, promised complimentary drinks and instructed participants to assemble early. Milot’s mayor said the municipal administration had not authorised or known about the activity. (AP News)

AyiboPost reported that people began gathering at approximately 04:30, although the Citadelle normally opened at 08:00. The crush occurred during rainy conditions later that day. (AyiboPost)

The Haitian National Police opened an investigation and initially detained seven people: five Milot municipal police officers and two employees of the Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National, or ISPAN. Six mobile phones and six official badges were reportedly seized. (AP News)

The number detained was subsequently reported as nine. The Miami Herald reported that Milot mayor Wesner Joseph was among those taken into custody on allegations described by the prosecutor as negligence, imprudence and irresponsibility. The status and eventual disposition of those allegations were not established in the sources located. (AP News)

Haiti’s Ministry of Culture and Communication dismissed its Nord Department director and ISPAN’s departmental director. The ministry attributed the incident to administrative misconduct and acknowledged failures in its own northern departmental structures and those of ISPAN. (Gouvernement de la République d'Haïti)

The government declared three days of national mourning beginning Tuesday, 14 April, and said it would pay the victims’ funeral expenses. (Reuters)