A flight of the American company Spirit Airlines that covered the route between the airports of Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami (USA), and Port-au-Prince (Haiti) was diverted this Monday after being hit by gunshots as it approached the Caribbean capital.
Spirit Flight 951 took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) bound for the Haitian city, but he had to abort his landing after being shot several times, according to US media reports. The incident caused the plane to be diverted to Cibao International Airport in Santiago de los Caballeros (Dominican Republic).
Once the plane landed, an inspection was carried out that confirmed gunshot damage to the fuselage. Apparently, A flight attendant has suffered minor injuries and is being evaluated by medical personnel, but the airline has confirmed that no passengers have been injured.
The plane was removed from service and Spirit is arranging the transfer of passengers and crew to Fort Lauderdale on another plane. “The safety of our passengers and team members is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement.
Spirit Airlines has suspended its service to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien pending further evaluation. American Airlines and Jet Blue announced that they will also suspend flights to Haiti until Thursday.
Haiti is under political tension waiting for the businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime takes office as the country’s new prime minister after the dismissal of Garry Conille and in the midst of the announcement by armed gangs that violence will increase from this Monday.
The attack on the Spirit plane occurs in the middle of the armed gang violence and the new threats from the main gang coalition, Vivre Ensemble (Living Together), which on Sunday announced new days of terror starting this Monday.
Only between July and last September 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 victims between deaths and injuries in the first half of the yearafter 2023 closed with about 8,000 victims.
#flight #heading #Haiti #diverted #shot #approaching #PortauPrince
