At least 18 people were killed and 60 injured early on Tuesday when a carnival float hit power lines in Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on the second day of the annual festival, officials said.
The float caught fire after it hit a high-voltage overhead power cable, witnesses said. Video of the incident appeared to show the electric cable catch the head of a singer from hip-hop band Barikad Crew. Seven people were reported dead on the float, and others were killed in the ensuing panic.
President Michel Martelly expressed his “sincerest sympathies” to the victims in a Twitter message.
Mes sincères sympathies aux victimes du grave incident survenu ce matin au Champ de Mars à l'occasion du 2ème jour gras du Carnaval.
#Haiti
— Michel J. Martelly (@MichelJMartelly)
February 17, 2015