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Haiti: At Least 3 Deaths, Several Missing in Fire at Earthquake Survivor’s Camp

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht)- At least three people died in a fire broke out at a camp for earthquake survivors in the district of Carrefour Pean in Port-au-Prince. Among the victims was little girl of 3 years old.

Many tents and personal belongings burned in the camp called "Camp Argentina", as victims once again denounced their appalling conditions of life since the earthquake of 2010.

The fire brigade intervened to seal the fire. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) sent troops to the scene, where a medical team, two ambulances and two water tanks arrived to assist the National Police of Haiti in their efforts to rescue the injured and extinguish the fire.

According to information confirmed by MINUSTAH, the 3 year old girl was found dead, her body burned in the fire, while witnesses reported three deaths in total.

President Michel Martelly, away touring Latin America and the Caribbean, responded in a press release that he learned with dismay the devastating fire at Camp Argentina, Carrefour. The presidency lamented the death of three year old girl and the disappearance of several other people during the disaster also caused considerable material damage.

In the note, the Presidency said it intends to take all measures necessary to give support to relatives of victims and bereaved families - about 400 individuals - whose tents were destroyed. The note said that event has renewed the determination of President Martelly to relocate the victims of January 12, 2010.

Camp residents have since said that the fire was caused by a gas oven that accidentally set fire to a tent which then spread throughout the camp. An official statement regarding the cause of the fire has not been released.

The Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul, presented his sympathies saying that he was "deeply shocked" and would insure a diligent investigation to shed light on the cause of the fire.