Seven arrested in Haiti after stampede kills 25

Haiti's national police said that they had arrested seven people suspected of involvement in the deadly stampede that left 25 people dead over the weekend at a former military citadel in the north of the country.

The Ministry of Culture said on Sunday that 30 people had died in the crush on Saturday, but the police and the city's mayor maintain that the toll is actually 25 fatalities. 

The national police said that five municipal police officers and two National Heritage Preservation Institute staff members were arrested in the town of Milot, at the foot of the abandoned citadel.

The stampede occurred as exceptionally large crowds gathered for a traditional festival held at the vast building on top of a mountain.

"A scuffle broke out between those already inside who wished to leave, and those outside attempting to enter," the Civil Protection agency concluded in a report. 

"Only one door was open for both entry and exit. This panic caused a massive stampede, resulting in cases of asphyxiation, trampling, and loss of consciousness among the visitors," the report added.

Confirming the death toll, the town's mayor Wesner Joseph said that officials had "received 13 bodies at the Sacre-Coeur Hospital in Milot, and we recovered 12 others at the Citadel. Twenty-five injured people are also being treated at the hospital."

The government has declared three days of national mourning and promised to pay funeral costs for victims of the tragedy.

Citadelle Henri, also known as Citadelle Laferriere, is a fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 19th century that is today a popular tourist spot.