Three killed in attack by gunmen on Haiti’s largest hospital

At least three people were killed in Haiti when gunmen opened fire on medical staff, police and journalists during a briefing to announce the reopening of the country’s largest public hospital.

Many others were wounded in Tuesday’s attack at a general hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Photos posted online show several injured or dead inside the building.

The site was recaptured by the Haitian government in July after being occupied and destroyed by violent gangs that control most of the city.

When the shooting started, journalists were waiting for the Minister of Health to arrive.

Two journalists and a policeman were reportedly killed.

In a video statement, the head of the transitional council under the president of Haiti, Leslie Voltaire, said: “We express our condolences to all the families of the victims, in particular to the National Police of Haiti and to all journalist associations.

“We assure them that this act will not go without consequences.”

The people of Haiti continue to suffer from intolerable levels of gang violence, despite the installation of a new transitional government in April and the deployment of an international force led by Kenyan police six months ago.

Haiti has been gripped by a wave of gang violence since the 2021 assassination of then-president Jovenel Moise.

An estimated 85% of Port-au-Prince is still controlled by gangs.

The UN reports that nearly 5,000 people have died in violence in Haiti this year, and the country is now on the brink of collapse.