As Haiti continues to grapple with escalating gang violence, the first rescue charter flight departed from the Caribbean nation and landed in Miami on Sunday afternoon, according to a U.S. official.
All 47 passengers on board the flight are believed to be Americans, and the flight was exclusively reserved for individuals holding U.S. passports, as confirmed by the official.
The charter flight took off from Cap-Haïtien, located approximately a five-and-a-half-hour drive north of the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is currently under the control of various gangs.
The U.S. State Department announced the charter flight on Saturday, providing an application link for those interested in boarding. However, it cautioned U.S. citizens to consider the flight only if they could safely reach the Cap-Haïtien airport.
Despite previous statements indicating no immediate plans to evacuate American citizens due to longstanding travel warnings for Haiti, efforts are underway to rescue more Americans. The non-profit organization Project Dynamo is reportedly working on evacuating at least 40 Americans by air or sea, although it remains unclear if any of them were on the recent charter flight.
The State Department has acknowledged the presence of several hundred American citizens still stranded in Haiti, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
In response to the escalating violence, the United States deployed military forces to enhance security measures and facilitate the evacuation of non-essential personnel from the American embassy.
Gangs have unleashed a wave of attacks on critical institutions in Haiti, leading to the closure of the main international airport and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. The widespread chaos has pushed many Haitians to the brink of famine and left countless others in dire circumstances.
The ongoing violence has plunged Haiti's government into disarray, prompting Prime Minister Ariel Henry to pledge his resignation once a crucial transitional council is established.
