Overview:
At least five residents were injured after a rain-triggered rockslide in Mòn Basiko, a hillside neighborhood in Cap-Haïtien— highlighting ongoing risks in areas with little construction oversight.
CAP-HAITIEN — At least five people were critically injured Wednesday morning after a large rock broke loose during rainfall and tore through three homes in Mòn Basiko, a steep hillside and neighborhood overlooking the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haïtien.
The rock slid down the slope in Fransik, an area in Mòn Basiko, around 10 a.m. on Feb. 25, residents said, smashing into three small homes made largely of corrugated metal sheets, partially collapsing the structures. Two teenagers and a 3-year-old boy were among those rushed to Hôpital Universitaire Justinien with head and facial injuries.
From the third home the rock struck, 15-year-old Kendy Dorcine and 3-year-old Wistanley Louis were struck in the face as they tried to move out of the way, family members said. In the first home, Jaquesonne Isratif, 55, and his 13-year-old daughter, Medeline Isratif, suffered head and leg injuries and were also taken to the hospital. The girl’s mother, Monette Jean, 54, was hurt but not critically and did not seek hospital care, according to a relative who lives nearby.
“They’re family. This doesn’t make me feel good at all,” said Paul Oldonique, Istratif’s cousin. “It hurts.”
Wistanley Louis sits on a woman’s lap after receiving care at Hôpital Universitaire Justinien on February 25, 2026. Louis, 3, sustained a facial injury during a landslide in Cap-Haïtien. Photo via Patrick Almonor’s Facebook account
More loose rocks as rain looms
No injuries were reported at the second home the rock struck, though its kitchen was destroyed. The rock finally stopped after colliding with a cement-block wall at a third house, where it remains lodged.
Residents say more loose rocks are visible higher up the hill. While a few families left the area after the slide, many others stayed despite fragile homes along the slope.
Rain is forecast to return Feb. 28, raising fears that more rocks could give way.
The rock remains lodged against a home after slamming into its wall. Photo by Onz Chéry/The Haitian Times
“We salute the courage of the victims and their families and extend our full solidarity to the residents of the Fransik area affected by this situation,” Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor posted on his Facebook account.
“Cap-Haïtien’s local authorities and Civil Protection continue to accompany the affected families while the damage assessment is being carried out to take the necessary measures,” Almonor added.
Residents in hillside neighborhoods are routinely warned about the risk of building in high-risk areas. However, enforcement of construction rules and zoning regulations remains weak across much of Haiti. Many homes in vulnerable communities, like in Mòn Basiko, are built without retaining walls or proper drainage systems or engineering oversight — conditions that heighten the risk of landslides during heavy rain.
Oldonique said many families in Mòn Basiko lack the financial means to relocate or reinforce their homes.
“Yes, we don’t listen when they tell us not to build here,” he said. “But we don’t have money at all. If we had money, we wouldn’t be building homes like these.”
Homes cling to the hillside on Mòn Basiko in Cap-Haïtien on Feb. 25, 2026. Photo by Onz Chéry/The Haitian Times
This is not the first incident. In May 2024, at least 12 people died in a landslide in Laborie, another hillside community on the outskirts of Cap-Haïtien.
Municipal authorities have long said they plan to demolish structures in hazardous zones but have rarely followed through. In January 2026, Northern Departmental Delegate Marc Présumé oversaw the demolition of at least 12 structures built along sidewalks on Boulevard du Cap and announced plans to remove buildings too close to Canal of Vertières, another neighborhood near downtown Cap-Haïtien. Those additional demolitions have yet to occur.
Across Haiti, rapid urban growth, poverty and limited state oversight have pushed thousands of families onto unstable hillsides and flood-prone land. Without consistent enforcement of building standards or investment in safer housing, residents remain exposed to recurring disasters — especially as extreme weather events become more frequent.
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