Seven Haitians die in Bolivia while trying to reach US
LIMA, Peru (CMC) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that seven Haitian migrants have died in the Andean highlands of Peru since the start of this year as their efforts to cross into Bolivia have been stymied by protests against the Peruvian Government.
In a report on Saturday the UNHCR said six of the deaths, including that of a minor, occurred in the small town of Desaguadero, where a bridge over a river of the same name links Peru and Bolivia.
According to a UNHCR spokeswoman in Peru, Iris Bano Romero, the other death, occurred in the town of Juli, also near the Bolivian border.
The Haitians fell victim to a combination of factors: difficult access to food, shelter and supplies; and temperatures — at an altitude of 3,800 metres (12,500 feet) — sometimes near freezing.
In addition to the deaths, two other people have been hospitalised with pneumonia since last Thursday, one of them in critical condition.
Bano Romero said the deaths and illnesses occurred despite the “very generous” efforts of locals to help.
The Haitians, some of whom had spent years in Chile or Brazil, were hoping to eventually reach the United States.