Panama City [Panama], July 20: At least 40 migrants died and several others were injured after a boat they were traveling in caught fire off northern Haiti, a UN spokesman said on Friday, quoting the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
"Two days ago, according to the Haitian National Office for Migration, the boat, carrying over 80 people, departed from Labadee en route to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a 250-kilometer journey," said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-Genral Antonio Guterres, at a daily briefing.
Forty-one surviving migrants on board were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard and are currently receiving medical care, food, water and psychosocial support, the IOM said in a statement.
Eleven migrants were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment, the statement added.
"This devastating event highlights the risks faced by children, women and men who migrate through irregular routes, demonstrating the crucial need for safe and legal pathways for migration," said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM's chief of mission in Haiti.
According to the IOM, more than 86,000 migrants have been forcibly returned to Haiti by neighboring countries this year.
Source: Xinhua