News

Passenger plane sprayed with gunfire while landing & 2nd jet shot on take-off in ‘world’s most dangerous city’ in Haiti

HAITI’S international airport was forced to shut down after gangs opened fire at a passenger plane.

The Spirit Airlines flight from Florida was struck by bullets as it went to touch down Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport.

A flight attendant was injured as gangs sprayed the plane – which had come from Fort Lauderdale – with gunfire on Monday.

Footage circulating on social media appears to show a hole where a bullet entered the aircraft near the rear door and hit overheard lockers.

Flight 951 was diverted and landed in the Dominican Republic instead.

The air steward was checked over for minor injuries, and no passengers were harmed.

Spirit Airlines said the damaged plane has been taken out of commission.

Authorities at the airport were forced to ground all commercial flights.

Flight tracking showed passenger planes and cargo jets turning away from Haiti.

A second plane also came under fire just a short time later.

The JetBlue flight was about to take off from the tarmac and head to New York when gangs opened fire.

It arrived later than scheduled and a post-flight inspection revealed the aircraft’s exterior had been hit.

JetBlue has halted all flights to Haiti until December 2 while the shooting is investigated.

A spokesman said: “We are actively investigating this incident in collaboration with relevant authorities.“

Spirit said it had suspended flights to Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, in Haiti’s north, “pending further evaluation.“

The passengers aboard the Spirit flight on Monday will be taken back in another aircraft to Fort Lauderdale, where the flight departed from.

A day after the gunfire, the Federal Aviation Administration announced all flights between the US and Haiti would be banned for 30 days as the investigation continues.

US planes are also prohibited from flying below 10,000 feet in Haiti’s airspace.

Armed gangs in Haiti’s capital have shot at aircraft in recent weeks as the security situation deteriorates.

Last month, a UN helicopter was hit by gunfire over Port-au-Prince.

In other parts of Haiti’s capital on Monday, firefights between gangs and police have broken out.

Rounds of gunfire echoed through the streets as heavily armed officers ducked 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 re-establish democratic order in the Caribbean nation fired the interim prime minister Garry Conille, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aim.

The council has been marked by infighting and three members were recently accused of corruption.

As he was sworn in, Fils-Aim said his top priorities were to restore peace to the crisis-stricken nation and hold elections, which haven’t been held in Haiti since 2016.

He said: “There is a lot to be done to bring back hope. “I’m deeply sorry for the people… that have been victimised, forced to leave everything they own.“

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.

Related Posts

Mass job losses as major factory owner moves business overseas

A major New York tire factory that has operated for over a century is set to close after its executives moved its manufacturing overseas. Sumitomo Rubber USA, which owns tire maker Dunlop, fired 1,550 people this week as the Japanese company plans to close its Buffalo factory. The company did not announce plans at the same time to open a new factory, but said it made the ‘difficult decision’ because the New York manufacturer couldn’t keep up with overseas prices.

Crushing blow for Anthony Albanese as hugely controversial misinformation bill is SCRAPPED

Communications minister Michelle Rowland has announced Labor will abandon its push to introduce a misinformation Bill. Ms Rowland made the announcement on Sunday following revelations the Greens, Coalition and several crossbenchers would not support the legislation. ‘Based on public statements and engagements with senators, it is clear that there is no pathway to legislate this proposal through the Senate,’ she said in a statement.

Foul-mouthed Connecticut teacher who ‘threatened to kill’ Donald Trump voters reveals shock career move

A teacher who warned Donald Trump supporters not to start a fight with her or they would lose, and die, says she would consider a more peaceful approach. Annie Dunleavy, 30, resigned from Chapman Elementary School in Cheshire, Connecticut, amid backlash against her Snapchat video. She went viral after the video she posted to a private channel vowing to leave Trump supporters ‘on a stretcher… forever’ if they ‘tested their gangster’ on her.

Al Sharpton reveals Trump cold called him after election win – here’s what he said

The Rev. Al Sharpton revealed Donald Trump unexpectedly cold called him after winning the presidency in 2016, claiming Trump told him: ‘You got me.’ The activist, 70, told the New York Times the out-of-the-blue phone call came after he went on MSNBC the day after Trump’s upset victory over Hillary Clinton. Explaining the shock to the nation, Sharpton stated that much of Trump’s appeal to the nation at the time stemmed from the perception of him as an outsider.

Hamas says female Israeli hostage is killed and another left fighting for life after IDF airstrike in Gaza

A female Israeli hostage was killed in an area of north Gaza when Israeli strikes pounded the region, a spokesperson for Hamas claimed today. Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, said that they had learned of the unnamed hostage’s fate after re-establishing contact with ‘those assigned to protect the captives’ ‘weeks’ after the strikes in northern Gaza Strip. It was not clear from the statement when the strikes were to have taken place.

Victoria Beckham reveals the REAL reason for her extreme diet and admits she never cooks due to daughter Harper, 13, joking she can ‘burn water’

Victoria Beckham has revealed the real reason for her extreme diet, which according to husband David, has seen her eat the same thing for the last 25 years. The fashion designer, 50, said she first give up meat when she was only eight and now continues to abide by a strict set of rules for the sake of her skin, after struggling with acne at the height of her Spice Girls fame. Victoria said she now also avoids certain wheats and flours and keeps her complexion radiant with a £2,000 Dermalux LED device, which she uses for 30-minutes every morning.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *