– 17 American missionaries and their family members, including children, were reportedly kidnapped by gang members on Saturday in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, a source in Haiti’s security forces said.

According to the source, the missionaries were kidnapped from a bus that was on its way to the airport to drop off some members of the group before continuing to another destination in Haiti.

AFP, also citing a security source, said that the group is being held by an armed gang that for months has been engaged in robberies and kidnappings in the area between Port-au-Prince and the border with the Dominican Republic.

A surge in gang violence has displaced thousands and hampered economic activity in the poorest country in the Americas. Violence spiraled after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July and an earthquake in August which killed over 2,000 people.

Source: VOV5