UNICEF warns Haiti fuel shortages put hospitalised women and children at risk

FILE PHOTO: Locals carry containers, used for oil and gasoline, during fuel shortages in Port-au-Prince, Haiti October 24, 2021. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Fuel shortages in Haiti are putting the lives of hundreds of women and children at risk as hospitals run low on supplies for electricity, United Nations children's agency UNICEF said on Sunday.

Fuel supplies to the capital Port-au-Prince have been severely disrupted in recent weeks by a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction this month of a group of American and Canadian missionaries. Transport industry leaders say making fuel deliveries is too dangerous for drivers who are at risk of kidnapping or hijacking.