A Spirit Airlines flight was forced to turn around after it was struck by gunfire on Monday, injuring a flight attendant.
The flight was destined for the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and diverted to the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Spirit said in a statement that the plane had been damaged and taken out of commission upon landing in the northern Dominican city of Santiago.
A flight attendant was injured in the incident, Spirit said. The Miami Herald had reported that the attendant was grazed by a bullet.
Haiti’s main airport temporarily shut down on Monday as gangs attempted to seize control, the U.S. embassy reported, the same day a new interim prime minister was expected to take over the direction of a country facing a surge of violence.
Firefights between gangs and police broke out in parts of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, with heavily armed officers ducking behind walls as civilians ran in terror. In other upper class neighborhoods, gangs set fire to homes.
The United States 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.”
It comes after reports that gangs shot at a Spirit airline flight and photos shared with the Associated Press of bullet holes in the plane, though The Associated Press was not able to immediately confirm the incident with authorities.
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 ducking 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.
The turmoil comes a day after a council meant to reestablish democratic order in the Caribbean nation fired the interim prime minister Garry Conille, who was at odds with the council, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.
The council has been marked by infighting and three members were recently accused of corruption.
On Monday, suit-clad diplomats and security officials flocked to the swearing in ceremony, set to take place in the afternoon.
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.
The transitional council was established in April, tasked with choosing Haiti’s next prime minister and Cabinet with the hope that it would help quell violence, which exploded after Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021.
The council was meant to pave the way to democratic elections, which haven’t been held in years in Haiti. Gangs have capitalized on that power vacuum to make their own power grabs.
But the council has been plagued with politics and infighting, and has long been at odds with Garry Conille, the interim prime minister they hand picked six months ago, who they fired yesterday.
