Overview:
Two folks out of the 11 severely injured in a Dec. 6 gasoline explosion in Fort-Liberté—5-year-old Evnesk Atoine and 39-year-old Cherlande Séjour—have died within the hospital. This tragic incident underscores the lethal dangers of unsafe gas transport and gaps in emergency care in northern Haiti.
FORT-LIBERTE — Two folks of the 11 injured in a devastating gasoline explosion in Fort-Liberté earlier this month have died from their wounds, authorities and relations confirmed. The losses carry renewed consideration to the hazards of unsafe gas transport and the dearth of specialised medical care in Haiti’s northern area.
5-year-old Evnesk Antoine died on Dec. 15 at Justinien College Hospital in Cap-Haïtien, whereas Séjour Chelande, 39, a mom and road vendor, died the next day after struggling extreme burns. Each have been injured in a Dec. 6 blaze sparked when gasoline barrels being transported on a motorized tricycle exploded in a densely populated neighborhood.
The explosion injured greater than a dozen folks, of whom 11 have been in vital situation, destroyed at the very least 4 properties and broken a number of others alongside Quai Prolongée Avenue, within the space recognized regionally as Dufour.
As beforehand reported by The Haitian Instances, residents mentioned the tricycle was carrying three barrels of gasoline by means of slender residential streets when it detonated, triggering a fast-moving fireplace that trapped households inside their properties, round 6:00 a.m.
A gas explosion in Dufour’s densely populated neighborhood highlights dangerous survival strategies Haitians depend upon as gas shortages worsen
Household and associates grieve a baby among the many victims
The boy, Evnesk Antoine, was enjoying with different youngsters close to his residence when the explosion occurred, in response to neighbors. Flames unfold quickly, leaving little time to flee.
“He was close to a propane tank when all the pieces exploded. The fireplace unfold so quick that nobody may attain him in time,” mentioned Judelyn Jean, a witness.
Neighbors managed to rescue a number of youngsters, together with the younger Antoine, however he suffered in depth burns. He was initially taken to Saint-Joseph Hospital in Fort-Liberté earlier than being transferred to Cap-Haïtien’s Justinien College Hospital as a result of severity of his accidents and the dearth of specialised burn care regionally.
“In Fort-Liberté, the docs did what they may,” Luckson Mompoint, a household pal, mentioned, recounting what the kid’s mom, Evelyne Lucien, advised him. “We hoped that in Cap-Haïtien, he would have an opportunity.”
“The lack of Evnesk Antoine leaves a bitter style for the entire household. He was a joyful baby. His demise is tough to just accept.”
Luckson Mompoint, household pal
However the boy died ten days after the explosion. Ronex Antoine and Evelyne Lucien are grieving their solely baby. A non-public funeral was held earlier this week.
“The lack of Evnesk Anotine leaves a bitter style for the entire household,” mentioned Mompoint. “He was a joyful baby. His demise is tough to just accept.”
A mom, a livelihood misplaced
The gas blast additionally claimed the lifetime of Séjour, a machann pèpè—Creole for secondhand clothes vendor—and mom of two youngsters, ages 15 and youthful. She was at residence making ready merchandise for market when the hearth instantly engulfed her home.
“She was easy, beneficiant, and hardworking,” mentioned Emmanuela Benchelove Tony, a detailed pal.
Séjour was the first breadwinner for her household and a member of a sòl, a rotating financial savings group frequent in Haiti. The fireplace destroyed her residence, her enterprise and years of financial savings.
She was admitted to Justinien College Hospital however was later taken residence by her household as a result of monetary hardship, kin mentioned. Her situation worsened, and she or he died on Dec. 16 earlier than 11:00 a.m.
“She realized that all the pieces had burned—her home, her enterprise, all her cash,” mentioned a member of the family who requested anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk on the household’s behalf. “After that, she misplaced hope.”
A number of victims stay hospitalized, together with 5-year-old Rose Bedji-Flore Mompoint, who’s being handled for extreme burns in Fort-Liberté. One other affected person, Rose Mirlande Sévère, is in worsening situation.
The tragedy has renewed requires stricter gas transport regulation, higher emergency response, and improved entry to burn care in northern Haiti—the place weak infrastructure typically turns accidents into lethal disasters.