24 November 2024,   02:17
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Spirit Airlines flight from Florida to Haiti hit by gunfire while trying to land

A Spirit Airlines flight from Florida was hit by gunfire while trying to land in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and diverted to the neighboring country of the Dominican Republic, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A flight attendant sustained minor injuries during the incident, writes CBS NEWS.

Two other flights bound for Port-au-Prince"s Toussaint Louverture International Airport were diverted as a precaution, the FAA said in a statement. The airport closed following the shooting, according to the agency.

A video posted to social media appeared to show a bullet hole inside the Spirit plane near an exit in the back of the cabin. The video also shows damage to an overhead compartment above a row of seats. Photos shared by the airport where the plane landed in the Dominican Republic show what look like bullet holes on the exterior of the plane.

Spirit Airlines Flight 951 took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, just north of Miami, on Monday morning, bound for Port-au-Prince.

According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the flight flew over parts of Haiti and circled around Port-au-Prince. The Airbus A320 was over a neighborhood about 550 feet off the ground when it began to quickly climb and diverted to Cibao International Airport in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

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