According to a local security source, a gang kidnapped about 15 American missionaries and family members outside the Haitian capital on Saturday.

According to the source, an armed gang, which has been active in theft and kidnappings in the area between Port-au-Prince and the Dominican Republic border for months, was holding the group of between 15 and 17 persons, including children.

The US government's spokesman refused to disclose any details.

The official stated, "The welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State." "These reports have been brought to our attention, and we have nothing further to say at this time."

Armed gangs that have ruled the Haitian city's poorest areas for years have expanded their influence to other parts of Port-au-Prince and its environs, terrorizing residents with kidnappings.

According to the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, a civil society organization situated in the Haitian capital, there were more than 600 kidnappings in the first three quarters of 2021, compared to 231 in the same period last year.

For years, Haiti has been gripped by severe political and economic crises, and President Jovenel Moise's killing in July threw the Caribbean country even deeper into chaos.