An unauthorised event at Haiti’s historic Citadelle Laferrière earlier this month ended in a crowd crush and stampede that resulted in the deaths of at least 25 attendees, including a pregnant woman and young children. The gathering, promoted by TikTok influencers, had attracted more than 3,000 people to the 19th-century hilltop fortress on the evening of 11 April. Overcrowding led to asphyxiation and a rush to escape. Heavy rainfall only made matters worse, leading to a crush at the narrow entrance where people were simultaneously attempting to enter and exit.
The citadel typically hosts celebrations annually during Holy Week, the days leading up to Easter. “Normally, these events would have finished on Good Friday, which is the Festival of the Citadelle. But afterwards, I came to learn that TikTokers prolonged the festivities and had their own activities,” Rose Beaulieu, a local tour guide whose company makes daily trips to the citadel, tells The Art Newspaper. “It is disappointing for Haiti and proves that there is no good management of our tourist sites.”
Three days of national mourning followed the tragedy, with the government promising to cover the costs of funerals. But accountability for the disaster has been evasive. “Everyday we hear different explanations about what happened,” Beaulieu says.
An audio recording of a press conference with the mayor of Milot, the commune where the citadel is located, began circulating via WhatsApp after the disastrous gathering. In the recording, mayor Wesner Joseph claimed it was not his role to control unauthorised events, passing the blame onto the Haitian Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN).
Joseph was taken into police custody on 13 April and interrogated for three days. Five municipal security agents and two employees from ISPAN were also arrested. Investigations remain ongoing, and the citadel is closed until further notice.