At least 40 migrants have died after the boat they were traveling in caught fire off the northern coast of Haiti, according to a United Nations agency.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported that 41 others were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard.
The vessel was en route from Cap-Haitien to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a distance of more than 220 km (137 miles), the IOM said.
The exact cause of the fire remains unclear, but a local official informed Reuters that people on the boat were lighting candles in a ritual to ask for safe passage, which led to gasoline-filled drums catching fire.
The injured are receiving care provided by the IOM, with 11 of them taken to the nearest hospital, the agency said.
Tens of thousands of people flee Haiti every year, seeking to escape poverty, lawlessness, and gang violence at home.
Earlier this year, rival armed groups took control of the capital, Port-au-Prince, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry weeks later.
Grégoire Goodstein, IOM’s chief of mission in Haiti, stated: “This 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.”