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Carnival ends in disaster as 20 killed

 

TWENTY people on a packed carnival float in Haitian capital Port-au-Prince were electrocuted by a hanging power line today.

The deaths occurred as thousands of people packed the streets for the annual Mardi Gras celebration.

Bystanders said that someone on the float had used a pole to move the wire so that the procession could pass underneath.

Local official Nadia Lochard said that at least 20 people were killed and 46 injured.

The float was sponsored by the Haitian hip-hop group Barikad Crew. Some of the victims were instantly electrocuted in a flash of sparks, witnesses said. Others managed to jump off, causing panic in the crowd.

“I saw the wire falling and sparks and I started running for my life,” said Natacha Saint Fleur, a 22-year-old who was near the float at the time.

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