PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti’s international airport temporarily closed Monday after gangs opened fire on a Spirit Airlines flight landing in Port-au-Prince, the U.S. State Department and the airline said. The latest violence occurred as a new prime minister was sworn in.

The flight, which was headed from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, was hit several times by gunfire as it was preparing to land in the capital of Haiti, injuring a flight attendant, who suffered minor injuries. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes inside a plane.

The flight was diverted and landed in the Dominican Republic, according to Spirit Airlines. It appeared to be part of what the US Embassy called “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince, which may include armed violence and disruptions on roads, ports and airports.”

Shootouts broke out elsewhere in Haiti’s capital between gangs and police. Bursts of gunfire echoed through the streets as heavily armed officers hid behind walls and civilians ran in terror. In other upper-class areas, gangs burned down houses. Schools closed as panic spread in several areas.

The unrest comes a day after a council aimed at restoring democratic order in the Caribbean nation fired interim Prime Minister Garry Conille, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The council has been marked by infighting and three members were recently accused of corruption.

On Monday, suited diplomats and security officials flocked to the swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for the afternoon.

The country has seen weeks of political chaos, which observers warned could result in even more violence in a place where bloodshed has become the new normal. The country’s gangs have long taken advantage of political turmoil to seize power, shut down airports and seaports and cause chaos.

The transitional council was established in April, tasked with electing Haiti’s next prime minister and cabinet in the hope that it will help quell violence, which erupted after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

The council was intended to pave the way for democratic elections, which have not been held in Haiti for years. The gangs have capitalized on that power vacuum to seize their own power.

But the council has been plagued by politics and infighting, and has long been at odds with Garry Conille, the caretaker prime minister they elected six months ago and fired yesterday.

Organizations such as the Organization of American States tried unsuccessfully last week to mediate disagreements in an attempt to salvage the fragile transition.

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