Violent Prison Break Sparks Murder, Mayhem in Haiti
- Gangs, police battle at capital’s airport; flights grounded
- 6 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew imposed due to ‘violent criminal acts’
A screen grab from a video shows tires on fire near the main prison of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on March 3.
Photographer: Luckenson Jean/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Haiti declared a state of emergency and is imposing a nighttime curfew after heavily armed gangs raided the country’s two biggest prisons over the weekend and violence gripped the capital.
By Monday afternoon, gangs and police were exchanging gunfire on the grounds of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, grounding flights, the Associated Press reported. Aviation tracking website, Flight Aware, showed empty skies above the Caribbean nation.