Three shot dead as gunmen attack Haiti’s largest hospital

At least three people were killed when gunmen in Haiti 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 the General Hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Images posted online appear to show several people injured or dead inside the building.

The site had been recaptured by the Haitian government in July, after having been occupied and destroyed by violent gangs who control much of the city.

The journalists were waiting for the arrival of the Minister of Health when the shooting began.

Reports say that two journalists and a police officer were shot dead.

In a statement, Haiti’s transitional presidential council vowed to punish the perpetrators.

“We express our condolences to all the families of the victims, in particular to the Haitian National Police and all journalists’ associations,” the council said.

The people of Haiti continue to suffer unbearable 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 officers six months ago.

Haiti has been engulfed in a wave of gang violence since the 2021 assassination of then-president Jovenel Moïse.

It is estimated that 85% of Port-au-Prince is still under gang control.

The UN says up to 5,000 people have died from violence in Haiti this year, and the country is now on the brink of collapse.