Seventeen U.S. missionaries and their families kidnapped in Haiti

The kidnapping happened as the missionaries were leaving an orphanage in the crisis-engulfed Caribbean nation

October 17, 2021 09:32 am | Updated 09:32 am IST

As many as 17 American Christian missionaries and their families, including children, were kidnapped on October 17 by gang members in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, the New York Times reported, citing security officials there.

The kidnapping happened as the missionaries were leaving an orphanage in the crisis-engulfed Caribbean nation, the Times said.

They were abducted from a bus headed to the airport to dropoff some members of the group before continuing to another destination in Haiti, the report added, citing local officials.

Jennifer Viau, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department in Washington, said by email that "we’re looking into this." The U.S. Embassy in Haiti did not respond to a request for comment outside business hours.

A spokeswoman for the Haitian police said she was seeking information on the issue.

The report did not give details on the missionaries or their church.

A surge in gang violence has displaced thousands and hampered economic activity in the poorest country in the Americas. Violence spiraled after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July and an earthquake in August which killed over 2,000 people.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.