Haiti. A Spirit Airlines plane shot at while trying to land. The flight was redirected to the Dominican Republic

While approaching to land in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, a Spirit Airlines plane flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida was shot at. It was redirected to the neighboring one Dominican Republic and landed safely at the airport in Santiago de los Caballeros – the Miami Herald website reported.

The Miami Herald reports that a stewardess was injured, but, as assured, no passengers were hurt. The airline's press release said the company was working to coordinate passengers' return flights to Fort Lauderdale. All flights to the Haitian cities of Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien have been suspended.

As a result of the incident, the airport was closed to all commercial flights. Embassy USA issued a warning to travelers saying the airport was closed due to “gang activities aimed at blocking travel to and from Port-au-Prince, which may include armed violence and disruption to roads, ports and airports.”

Monday's shelling took place several hours before the ruling Presidential Council was sworn in Haiti the new prime minister, businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime.

The change of prime minister is another blow to the political stability of the country, which is struggling with a serious security crisis. Armed gangs control most of the capital and are expanding their influence in surrounding regions, which is deepening the economic collapse, contributing to famine, the death of thousands and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

In recent weeks, a helicopter was shot at in Haiti UN. At the end of October, the UN office in this country reported that in the “de facto absence of state representatives, gangs are increasingly taking over functions that should be performed by the police and judicial authorities, and gangs are dictating the law in the country's capital.” According to UN estimates, 1,740 people died as a result of fighting and gang violence in Haiti between the beginning of July and the end of September.