At least 2 journalists were killed in a shooting during the opening of a hospital in Haiti

Haiti’s online media association said two reporters were killed and several others wounded in an attack by a suspected gang on Tuesday during the reopening of Port-au-Prince’s largest public hospital.

Street gangs have taken over It covered about 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and forced the closure of the General Hospital earlier this year. Authorities had promised to reopen the establishment on Tuesday, but as journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire in a violent attack on Christmas Eve.

Online Media Collective spokesman Robest Dimanche said the dead journalists were Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean. Dimanche said an unspecified number of reporters were also injured in the attack, which he blamed on the Viv Ansanm gang coalition.

Haiti Interim President Leslie Voltaire said in his address to the nation that journalists and police were among the victims of the attack. He did not give information on the number of casualties, the number of dead or wounded.

“I express my condolences to the victims, the national police and the journalists,” said Voltaire, adding that “this crime will not go unpunished.”

In the video published on the Internet by journalists trapped inside the hospital, two people with blood-stained clothes can be seen lying on stretchers. One of the men had a press credential lanyard around his neck.

Radio Télé Métronome initially reported that seven journalists and two police officers were injured. Police and officials did not immediately return calls for information about the attack.

Street gangs forced the closure of the General Hospital earlier this year amid violence that also targeted the main international airport and Haiti’s two largest prisons. Federal Aviation Administration was discontinued last month US airlines flew to Haiti after three planes, groups fired on three planes as they arrived or departed from Port-au-Prince.

Authorities had promised to reopen the facility on Tuesday, but as journalists gathered to cover the incident, suspected gang members opened fire.

A video released earlier online showed journalists inside the building and at least three people lying on the ground, apparently injured. That video could not be verified immediately.

Johnson “Izo” André, considered to be Haiti’s most powerful gang leader and a member of the gang known as Viv Ansanm, which controls much of Port-au-Prince, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack.

In the video, it is said that the gang coalition did not allow the hospital to reopen.

Haiti has seen journalists targeted before. In 2023, two local journalists were killed within weeks of each other – radio reporter Dumesky Kersaint was fatally shot in mid-April of that year, and journalist Rico Ginn was found dead later that month.

In July former prime minister Garry Conille visited the Haiti State University Hospital, better known as the General Hospital, after authorities regained control from the gangs.

The hospital was in ruins and scattered with debris. Walls and nearby buildings were riddled with bullet holes, indicating battles between police and gangs. The hospital is located opposite the national palace, which has been the scene of several battles in recent months.

Gang attacks have looted Haiti’s health care system, started fires, and destroyed medical facilities and pharmacies in the capital to the point of collapse. The violence has led to an increase in the number of patients and a lack of resources to treat them.

Haiti’s health care system faces additional challenges during the rainy season, which can increase the risk of waterborne diseases. Poor conditions in camps and temporary settlements have increased the risk of diseases such as cholera, with more than 84,000 suspected cases in the country, according to UNICEF.