Power Line Float accident in Haiti

Updated August 29, 2015 10:24 AM

On February 17, 2015, at 2:48 A.M, during the celebration of high spirited three day carnival festival "Nou Tout Se Ayiti" (we are all Haitians), when a carnival float hit a power line, 17 people were killed and in an ensuing panic more than 76 people were injured of stampede. According to the witness, when a musical float was passing below an overhead power line in the downtown of the Haitian capital, someone on the float used a pole to move a live power line out of the way so that the float could pass under it. Some of the victims were immediately electrocuted in a flash of sparks. 'Amateur Video' has posted a video recording of the incident on YouTube which shows that the electric cable caught the head of a singer from the hip-hop band 'Barikad Crew' while their float was passing the presidential stand packed with spectators. The Barikad Crew float was one of the 16 participants in the downtown Carnival parade. Their lead singer Daniel "Fantom" Darinus who was performing on the float was the first victim who ran into the power line. The accident immediately knocked Darinus unconscious and triggered a chaotic stampede. Seventeen people were killed and 76 were injured, including Darinus. However, most of those killed were trampled to death as the crowd surged away from the Carnival float.

This was the first time that this carnival was being celebrated in the country's capital and from the first night on February 14th. It attracted large night-time crowds who were eager to witness competing bands atop highly-decorated floats. In the last three years, it was celebrated in three provinces, Les Cayes, Gonaives and Cape Haitian. Following the incident, the government announced a three days of mourning, flags were flown half mast. A state funeral was held for the victims on Saturday, 21, February.

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Power Line Float accident in Haiti

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