Haiti carnival float accident kills at least 20 on second day celebration

At least 20 people were killed early Tuesday in the Haitian capital after a man on top of a musical group's Carnival float was electrocuted, setting off a panic in which dozens of people were trampled, witnesses and officials said.

Most of the victims were trampled to death in a stampede after the float struck a high-voltage overhead power cable, according to a Reuters report.

Haiti's president, Michel Martelly, has expressed his "sincerest apologies" to victims and their families, as officials deliberate whether the second day of festivities should be cancelled.

Dr. Joel Desire, a doctor at General Hospital, said most of those killed appeared to have been trampled to death as the crowd surged away from the Carnival float.

The carnival is being held over three days in the Haitian capital.

Meanwhile at Brazil's Carnival, three men were electrocuted on Tuesday when they pushed a float toward a parade ground and it struck a high-tension power cable in the Nova Iguaçu suburb of Rio de Janeiro, police said.

Haitian officials were expected to announce later Tuesday whether they would cancel a second day of Carnival events. Communications Minister Rothchild Francis said the government was working to assist victims. First lady Sophia Martelly visited some of the injured at the General Hospital but left without speaking to reporters.