BOAT FIRE IN HAITI KILLS 40 MIGRANTS. (PHOTO).
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Approximately 40 migrants have died after the boat they were traveling in caught fire off the northern coast of Haiti, the United Nations says.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that another 41 people were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard.
The vessel was traveling from Cap-Haitien to the Turks and Caicos Islands, more than 220 kilometers (137 miles) away, IOM said.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but a local official told Reuters that the people on the boat were lighting candles in a prayer ceremony for safe passage, which caused petrol-filled tanks to ignite.
The injured are receiving care from IOM, and 11 of them were taken to a nearby hospital, the organization said.
Tens of thousands of people flee Haiti every year, escaping poverty, unrest, lawlessness, and gang violence in their country.
Armed rival groups took control of the capital, Port-au-Prince, earlier this year, forcing Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign several weeks later.
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