A festive Mardi Gras parade in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, turned tragic on Tuesday when a float sponsored by Haitian hip-hop group Barikad Crew ran into a power line, electrocuting several people and killing several more in the ensuing panic. Haitian officials tell The Associated Press that at least 20 people died, while Reuters reports 18 deaths and 60 injuries. Reuters, citing video of the accident, says that a Barikad Crew singer's head hit the high-voltage line; AP, citing witnesses, said that someone on the float used a pole to lift up the wire so the Carnival float could pass under.
A photo posted by Tico Armand (@iamtico) on Feb 17, 2015 at 12:45am PST
On Twitter, President Michel Martelly expressed his "sincerest sympathies" to the victims.
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