8 Prisoners Escaped, 4 Killed in Northern Haiti

Authorities in Haiti announced that eight prisoners escaped, and four others were killed by Police while trying to escape from a prison in the north of the country last night. Police intervened in the prison located in the Port-de-Paix region on the northern coast of the country, and killed four prisoners who were trying to escape from the complex. "Of the eight fugitives, six were arrested", northwestern province police spokesman Lionel Joseph said in a news conference. The detainees escaped from a cell containing 37 people, he added. To pursue the detainees, judicial and police authorities asked the residents of Port-de-Paix to remain in their homes. For his part, government official Geir Pierre told Magic 9 Radio in Port-au-Prince that the 37 detainees in this cell have been convicted of violent crimes and are considered dangerous. According to the United Nations, since the attacks launched by gangs last February, which led to the resignation of the Prime Minister, more than 4,600 detainees have escap ed from prisons of this poor Caribbean country, which has fallen into a serious crisis. Haiti has suffered poverty, natural disasters, political instability and gang violence for decades. Since late February, the country - already suffering from a deep political and security crisis - has seen an escalation in violence as several gangs united to attack strategic sites in the capital, demanding that Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down. Source: Qatar News Agency