Haiti Fortress Stampede Kills 30

A devastating stampede at Haiti's historic Citadelle Laferrière on April 12, 2026, tragically killed at least 30 people and injured many more during an annual Easter gathering packed with students and visitors. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, which was primarily caused by severe overcrowding and deficient crowd management at the UNESCO World Heritage site, exacerbated by rainfall.

A tragic stampede at Haiti's historic Citadelle Laferrière on April 12, 2026, resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people, with many more injured or missing.
The incident occurred during an annual Easter gathering at the UNESCO World Heritage site, which was reportedly packed with students and visitors.
According to The Washington Post, the stampede happened at a mountaintop fortress popular with tourists in northern Haiti.
Local authorities, as reported by the Associated Press, indicated that "a situation of severe overcrowding, linked in particular to deficiencies in crowd management measures, triggered a stampede."
Jean Henri Petit, head of Civil Protection for Haiti's Nord Department, told Reuters that overcrowding combined with rainfall contributed to the rapidly deteriorating situation.
Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and the government extended condolences to the victims' families and launched an investigation into the tragedy.