Passengers returning to Fort Lauderdale after their Haiti flight was disrupted by gunfire

MIAMI – Dozens of travelers trying to leave Fort Lauderdale to Port Au PrinceHaiti, are returning to South Florida Monday morning after their flight was interrupted by gunfire while attempting to land.

A Spirit Airlines plane that was scheduled to fly to Port-au-Prince was caught in gunfire near Toussaint Louverture International Airport, presumably from nearby gang members.

The plane was hit several times while it was about 600 feet above the ground, just before it was scheduled to land.

Spirit Airlines immediately diverted the flight to Santiago, Dominican Republic, where the plane landed safely around 11:30 a.m

Since then, a Spirit Airlines flight has taken off from Fort Lauderdale to Santiago to pick up the 48 passengers originally flying to Haiti. They are expected to return to Fort Lauderdale International Airport later Monday evening.

Spirit Airlines confirmed in a statement that the plane suffered damage consistent with gunfire.

A flight attendant reported minor injuries and is currently undergoing medical evaluation, while no injuries were reported among passengers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also responded and ordered other flights bound for Port-au-Prince to divert to other locations as a precautionary measure.

Toussaint Louverture International Airport is now closed and flights to and from Haiti have been canceled for the foreseeable future.

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued a statement after the incident, noting that “the security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous. Travel within Haiti is at your own risk. The U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety.”

The incident came amid political unrest following the ouster of Prime Minister Gary Conille.

Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was installed as the new prime minister on Monday afternoon, but the security situation remains uncertain.

Passengers on the disrupted flight are expected to arrive back in Fort Lauderdale later Monday.