Miami (USA).- A flight from the American company Spirit Airlines that covered the route between the airports of Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami (USA), and Port-au-Prince It was diverted this Monday after being hit by gunfire while approaching the Haitian capital.
Spirit Flight 951 took off this morning from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) bound for the Haitian capital, but had to abort its landing after being shot several times, US media reported.
The incident caused the flight to be diverted to Cibao International Airport in Santiago de los Caballeros (Dominican Republic), where it landed and a subsequent inspection confirmed gunshot damage to the fuselage.
You may also be interested in:
A flight attendant reportedly suffered minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical staff, but the airline confirmed that no passengers were injured.
The plane has been removed from service and Spirit is arranging to transfer passengers and crew to Fort Lauderdale on another aircraft.
“The safety of our passengers and team members is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement.
Spirit Airlines has suspended service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien pending further evaluation.
American Airlines and Jet Blue announced that they will also suspend flights to Haiti until Thursday.
Haiti is under political tension this Monday waiting for businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime to take office as the country’s new prime minister after the dismissal of Garry Conille and amid the announcement by armed gangs that violence will increase from today .
The attack on the Spirit plane occurs in the midst of violence by armed gangs and new threats from the main coalition of gangs, Vivre Ensemble (Living Together), which yesterday announced new days of terror starting today.
Between last July and September alone, at least 1,223 people died and 522 were injured in Haiti as a result of violence and the fight against gangs, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in the Caribbean country (Binuh).
Added to this are the 3,900 deaths and injuries in the first half of the year, after 2023 closed with around 8,000 victims.
