The Associated Press: Haiti’s international airport shut down on Monday after gangs opened fire at a commercial flight landing in Port-au-Prince, prompting some airlines to temporarily suspend operations as the country swore in a new interim prime minister who promised to restore peace.
The Spirit Airlines flight headed from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Port-Au-Prince was close to landing in Haiti’s capital when gangs shot at the plane, striking a flight attendant, who suffered minor injuries, according to the airline, the U.S. Embassy and flight tracking data. The flight was diverted and landed in the Dominican Republic.
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Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane.
The shooting appeared to be part of what the U.S. Embassy called “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince, which may include armed violence and disruptions to roads, ports and airports.”
Spirit, JetBlue and American Airlines said Monday they were cancelling flights to and from Haiti.
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued a travel warning, saying that the city’s airport was shut down due to “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince, which may include armed violence and disruptions to roads, ports and airports.”
“The U.S. Embassy is aware of a temporary pause in operations at [Toussiant Louverture International Airport] as of Nov. 11,” the embassy’s statement said. “The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous.”
In other parts of Haiti’s capital, firefights between gangs and police broke out. Rounds of gunfire echoed through the streets as heavily armed officers ducked behind walls and civilians ran in terror. In other upper class areas, gangs set fire to homes. Schools closed as panic spread in a number of areas.
New PM sworn in Monday
The turmoil comes a day after a council meant to re-establish democratic order in the Caribbean country fired the interim prime minister, Garry Conille, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The council has been marked by infighting and three members were recently accused of corruption.
As he was sworn in, Fils-Aimé said his top priorities were to restore peace to the crisis-stricken country and hold elections, which haven’t been held in Haiti since 2016.
“There is a lot to be done to bring back hope” he said before a room of suit-clad diplomats and security officials. “I’m deeply sorry for the people … that have been victimized, forced to leave everything they own.”
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The country has seen weeks of political chaos, which observers warned could result in even more violence in a place where bloodshed has become the new normal. The country’s slate of gangs have long capitalized on political turmoil to make power grabs, shutting down airports, shipping ports and stirring chaos.
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The post Spirit Airlines flight hit by gunfire as gang violence shuts down Haiti’s main airport appeared first on Antigua Breaking News.
