Port-Au-Prince residents sheltering in place as violence escalates

A woman and a child duck near a police vehicle after leaving school amid gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince was on lockdown on Thursday, as flaming barricades across several neighborhoods forced residents to shelter in place or return home in the latest flare-ups in chronic gang violence plaguing the Caribbean country.

Streets were blocked off by burning tires and rocks, sending up huge plumes of black smoke in the sky across various parts of the city, according to Reuters eyewitnesses.