US flies Americans out of besieged Haitian capital amid fresh fighting
Damaged cars in the Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood deserted due to gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The United States (US)has started to fly out its citizens from Haiti by helicopter as reports of fresh fighting emerged in the gang-dominated capital of the Caribbean country.
There were also reports of fierce gunfire in some of the wealthiest enclaves of Port-au-Prince.
Speaking to the reporters, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel on Wednesday (Mar 20) said that the government-chartered aircraft have started the process of ferrying the Americans from Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Republic.
“The violence on the ground in Port-au-Prince has been dire and the security situation is certainly one of high risk but we would not conduct such an operation if we did not feel it was safe to do so and we did not have the expertise to conduct something like this,” said Patel.
According to Patel, the evacuation flights are likely to fly on a day-to-day basis and will carry 30 Americans.
Also Read:With only one hospital operating, Haiti's healthcare system collapses amid raging gang violence
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The department informed that 15 Americans were evacuated from Santo Domingo by helicopter and taken to the neighbouring Dominican Republic, said the department.
1,600 UScitizens appeal for evacuation from Haiti
As per officials, nearly 1,600 UScitizens have registered with the US State Department to leave Haiti.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday afternoon (Mar 20) announced that 14 Americans, which included families and children, evacuated from Haiti.
“This will be the first of probably many flights to bring people – US citizens, Florida residents, obviously – who are in harm’s way, given what’s going on in Haiti,” said DeSantis.
Around 360 Floridians are present in Haiti, said Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie.
Amid these evacuations, journalists and witnesses reported fresh fighting in Haiti’s capital as UNICEF chief, Catherine Russell said that the fighting this week can be compared to “a scene out of Mad Max”.
Watch:Haiti Gang Violence: Armed gangs attack electricity service officers, steal equipments
“Heavy gunfire [echoed] across once-peaceful communities near the Haitian capital,” the Associated Press reported after their reporters witnessed at least five bodies lying around the city’s suburbs.
Suspected gang members set on fire in Haiti
Some suspected gang members lost their lives in an attack on the Petion-Ville neighbourhood outside Haiti's capital as a clash between the locals and police broke out.
According to Reuters, two suspected gang members, which included a leader called Makandal, were set on fire. The family home of Makandal was also set on fire.
(With inputs from agencies)