Gangs in Haiti open fire and hit UN helicopter as violence increases

Gangs in Haiti opened fire and hit a UN helicopter on Thursday, forcing it to land in Port-au-Prince in the latest attack in the country’s capital as violence surges again.

No one was injured when several shells hit the helicopter carrying three crew members and fifteen passengers.

A UN source said the helicopter, which left Port-au-Prince before it was attacked, had landed safely.

The attack comes five months after Haiti’s main international airport reopened following coordinated gang attacks, forcing the airport to close for almost three months.

The violence has spread to nearby areas including Arcahaie, where around 50 suspected gang members were killed this week after an attack on the coastal town just northwest of the capital.

The dead include at least a dozen gunmen who drowned after their boat capsized.