Missionaries From Lowell Church Stuck in Haiti Due to Riots
Missionaries from Impact Church in Lowell are trapped in a hotel in Haiti after protests against high gas prices turned to riots. The group was planning to return home on Sunday when the Haitian president announced he was going to raise gas prices so high that most Haitians wouldn’t be able to afford the gas. This began riots which blocked the roads from Carries (the city the group was staying in) to the airport.
"I don't think there is any real danger at all for anybody as long as they are staying in their homes and not going out in the streets," said Dustin Stephens, a mission partner with Grand Rapids-based Haiti aid nonprofit Starfysh.
The riots have since calmed down, enough for the group to attempt to come home later today. They have an hour long ride to the airport in Port-au-Prince, where they will head back to the U.S.