Friday evening the boat "Métropole" carrying 600 bags of flour and an undetermined number of passengers, was prohibited from setting sail by Auguste Sony, inspector of the Maritime and Navigation Service of Haiti due to the overloading of the boat and the sea state, a situation reported to his superiors.

Despite everything, the captain of the "Métropole", ignoring the ban, took off without authorization, leaving the town of Anse-à-Pitres towards the West bound for the coastal town of Marigot.

Early Saturday morning the boat "Métropole" capsized off Côte-de-Fer, announced to the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC). According to local media, the sinking occurred after the boat hit a reef.

14 passengers were rescued, 1 passenger in his forties died and the Haitian Red Cross (CRH) and the DPC are currently mobilized to carry out rescue operations in order to find other survivors whose total number remain until now unknown.

Among the survivors, one person was hospitalized in critical condition, according to Civil Protection.

S/ HL/ HaitiLibre