PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti’s government has terminated two officials Tuesday in response to a deadly crowd crush at a historic mountaintop site that claimed 25 lives during the weekend.
Haiti’s Ministry of Culture and Communication announced the firings in an official statement, removing a director from the Institute for the Preservation of National Heritage for what they called “serious negligence.” A second ministry director was also terminated for alleged “biased passivity.”
The deadly incident unfolded Saturday at La Citadelle, a historic fortress and popular tourist destination in Haiti’s northern region. A local DJ had organized the gathering through social media promotion and loudspeaker announcements from vehicles traveling through local communities.
“The Ministry of Culture and Communication, without going into the details of the criminal investigation, believes that the tragedy at La Citadelle is the result of administrative negligence,” officials stated, emphasizing that the government “will fully assume its responsibilities.”
The crowd surge left dozens injured beyond the 25 fatalities. Medical officials reported Monday evening that 30 hospitalized victims had been discharged from care.
Law enforcement has taken nine individuals into custody related to the incident, with five of those arrested being police officers.
Cap-Haitien prosecutor Eno Zephirin spoke with Radiotélévision Caraïbes Tuesday, confirming that investigators are working to determine what triggered the deadly stampede. While declining to name two suspects, Zephirin confirmed that two others arrested Monday work for Haiti’s Institute for the Preservation of National Heritage, the agency responsible for managing La Citadelle.
