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At least 40 migrants have died after the boat they were travelling in caught fire off the northern coast of Haiti, a United Nations agency says. <\/p>\n
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says 41 others were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard.<\/p>\n
The vessel was travelling from Cap-Haitien to the Turks and Caicos Islands, more than 220km (137 miles) away, the IOM said.<\/p>\n
The exact cause of the fire is not yet clear, but a local official told Reuters that people on the boat were lighting candles in a ritual to ask for safe passage, leading gasoline-filled drums to catch fire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The injured are receiving care provided by the IOM, and 11 of them were taken to the nearest hospital, the agency said.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of people flee Haiti every year, escaping poverty, lawlessness and gang violence at home.<\/p>\n
Rival armed groups took control of the capital, Port-au-Prince, earlier this year, forcing Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign<\/a> weeks later.<\/p>\n Gr\u00e9goire Goodstein, IOM\u2019s chief of mission in Haiti, said: \u201cThis devastating event highlights the risks faced by children, women and men migrating through irregular routes – demonstrating the crucial need for safe and legal pathways for migration.<\/p>\n “Haiti\u2019s socio-economic situation is in agony. The extreme violence over the past months has only brought Haitians to resort to desperate measures even more.\u201d<\/p>\n