At least 40 migrants have died and several others were injured after a boat they were traveling in caught fire off the northern coast of Haiti, a UN agency said Friday.

The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the Haitian Coast Guard rescued 41 survivors, 11 of whom were hospitalized, including some for burns.

A government official said the migrants were trying to escape to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Fire likely started after two drums of gasoline ignited

The boat, carrying more than 80 people, had left the port of Labadee on Wednesday en route to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a 150-mile journey, the IOM reported, citing Haiti's National Office for Migration.

The fire likely started when two drums of gasoline ignited, Civil Protection official Jean Henry-Petit said. Passengers were drinking rum and whiskey, according to a witness, which may have come into contact with the flammable substance, causing the fire, according to the Associated Press.

The dead included the captain of the boat, according to Arnold Jean, a spokesperson for the police in Cap-Haïtien.

Haiti's spike in violence force people to flee

The incident comes as Haitians scramble to flee a spike in violence as criminal gangs overwhelm the police.

Gang leaders have been blamed for coordinated attacks that began on February 29 across the capital, Port-au-Prince, with residents saying they have faced theft and kidnapping for ransom.

A senior UN official told the UN Security Council earlier this year that the first quarter of 2024 was the deadliest for Haitians with around 2,500 people killed or injured in gang violence.

The first three months of 2024 saw a 53% increase in casualties from the previous reporting period, the most violent period a UN office started recording statistics in January 2022.

Last month, the IOM said data showed nearly 580,000 people were internally displaced across Haiti, a 60% increase since March.

sp/rm (Reuters, AFP)