At least 16 people have been killed and dozens
wounded after a high-voltage power line hit a carnival float in
the Haitian capital, setting off a stampede.
According to witnesses, Tuesday's accident happened when a
musical float hit a overhead power line in downtown Port-au-Prince as
thousands filled the streets for the raucous annual celebration.
Panic ensued when people jumped off the float to
avoid being electrocuted setting off the stampede.
"I saw the wire falling and sparks and I started running
for my life," Natacha Saint Fleur, a 22-year-old who was near the float at
the time said.
Officials had earlier reported as many as 18 dead, but this was
lowered to 16 by Tuesday evening.
President Michel Martelly expressed his "sincerest
sympathies" to the victims in a Twitter message and his wife visited the
hospitals that were treating the injured.
Hundreds of people thronged the hospital, some carrying victims
and others searching for family members brought by ambulance.
The tragedy prompted the government to cancel the last day of
Carnival and to declare three days of national mourning.
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