MILOT, Haiti — At least 30 people were killed in a stampede at the entrance to the Citadelle Laferrière during an annual celebration Saturday, April 11. Haitian officials said rain worsened the crush as crowds of visitors, including many students and other young people, gathered at the historic mountaintop fortress.
Haiti stampede at Citadelle Laferrière: what happened
The death toll remained preliminary as authorities continued rescue work and tried to identify the victims. In Reuters’ report from Haiti, Jean Henri Petit, head of civil protection for the Nord Department, said the disaster unfolded at the entrance to the site and warned the number of dead could rise.
The Associated Press reported that local media described confusion and panic near the Citadel, including unconfirmed reports that police may have used tear gas to break up a fight nearby. Authorities had not publicly established a definitive cause.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said many of those attending were “young people,” underscoring the scale of the loss as families waited for names and answers.
Why the site matters
The Citadelle is far more than a tourist stop. According to UNESCO’s listing for National History Park — Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers, the fortress and surrounding monuments date to the early 19th century and stand as symbols of liberty in the aftermath of Haiti’s independence.
That history helps explain why the tragedy is likely to resonate far beyond Milot. The fortress has long been treated as both a national landmark and one of the anchors of northern Haiti’s visitor economy.
A longer story behind the tragedy
The Citadel has figured in tourism planning for years. In a 2009 Reuters article on Haiti’s attempt to revive tourism, officials described the fortress and nearby Sans-Souci complex as central to efforts to draw more visitors to the north.
That push did not disappear. In February, Haiti’s government said work was underway on tourism infrastructure in Milot and Cap-Haïtien, according to a government communiqué on tourism priorities.
And in December 2024, the culture ministry said conservation at the historic park remained part of its cooperation agenda with UNESCO, a reminder that the Citadel has been both a heritage priority and a tourism symbol well before this weekend’s disaster.
For now, officials are focused on rescue efforts, victim identification and determining exactly what turned a celebration at one of Haiti’s best-known landmarks into a mass-casualty disaster.
