Armed gangs in Haiti attacked journalists covering the reopening of the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince, killing or wounding an unknown number of people. The attack, which also targeted police, raised concerns about the safety of journalists and the country's ability to function.
Suspected gang members opened fire on journalists in Haiti's capital on Tuesday as they were covering the attempted reopening of the country's largest hospital, wounding or killing an unknown number of people. Haiti's interim president, Leslie Voltaire, said in an address to the nation that journalists and police were among the victims of the vicious Christmas Eve attack. He did not specify how many casualties there were, or give a breakdown for the dead or wounded.
“I send my sympathies to the people who were victims, the national police and the journalists,” Voltaire said, pledging “this crime is not going to go unpunished.” There were concerns there could be fatalities — a video posted online by the reporters trapped inside the hospital showed what appeared to be two lifeless bodies of men on stretchers, their clothes bloodied. One of the men had a lanyard with a press credential around his neck. Radio Télé Métronome initially reported that seven journalists and two police officers were wounded. Police and officials did not immediately respond to calls for information on the attack. Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. They forced the closure of the General Hospital early this year during violence that also targeted the main international airport and Haiti’s two largest prisons. Authorities had pledged to reopen the facility Tuesday but as journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire. Video posted online earlier showed reporters inside the building and at least three lying on the floor, apparently wounded. That video could also not be immediately verifie
HAITI GANGS JOURNALISTS ATTACK HOSPITAL
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
“I Feel Attacked”: Family Gangs Up On Mom For Not Feeding 8-Month-Old MeatShe decided to not feed her baby any meat but worried the in-laws might do so behind her back.
Read more »
Gang kills around 180 people in Haiti’s Cite Soleil slum, Prime Minister’s office saysOffice says it will ‘mobilize all forces to track down and annihilate’ those responsible, including Wharf Jeremie gang leader Monel ‘Mikano’ Felix, whom it accused of planning the attack
Read more »
Scores slain in weekend attacks in Haiti's Cité Soleil, observers sayMembers of the Haitian Armed Forces patrol the area, as people flee homes following the armed gangs violence over the weekend, many grouped behind an alliance known as Viv Ansanm, at the Poste Marchand suburb, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti December 9, 2024.
Read more »
Gang leader in Haiti accused of massacring older people to avenge son's deathA gang leader who controls a key port in Haiti's capital is accused of massacring older people and Vodou religious leaders in his community to avenge his son's death, according to the government and human rights organizations that estimate more than 100 killed.
Read more »
Haiti’s government announces the reopening of capital’s international airportThe country touts the reopening as a ‘turning point’ for the economy, after the hub was shut down for a month because of growing gang violence
Read more »
UN Raises Death Toll in Haiti Massacre, Calls for JusticeThe United Nations has doubled the death toll of a recent massacre in Haiti, where dozens of elderly people and Vodou practitioners were killed by a gang. The UN report calls for justice and the arrest of those responsible.
Read more »