PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A power line fell on a carnival parade float and killed at least 18 people in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Tuesday.
Witnesses say some of the people on the float were instantly electrocuted, while others were able to escape.
"I saw the wire falling and sparks and I started running for my life," one witness said. Many of the victims were taken to General Hospital, where hundreds of people arrived carrying victims or to look for family.
The incident occurred after someone tried to use a stick or pole to move a the power line so the float could move underneath it, according to witnesses.
BREAKING: reports 20 killed after power line falls on float in #Haiti. #CBCNN #Kanaval2015 (pic @Electionhaiti) pic.twitter.com/kx8LPHvZgU
— Lily Boisson (@LilyBoisson) February 17, 2015
