New Delhi:

India on Friday set up a control room and emergency helpline to facilitate the evacuation of Indian nationals from Haiti following incidents of violence and looting in the Caribbean country.

India is ready to evacuate its citizens from Haiti if necessary, foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said, as the Caribbean country’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry tendered his resignation following an emergency meeting of regional countries. Gangs continue to attack government institutions, and social order is on the verge of collapse.

“As you know, Haiti is facing a crisis. If necessary, we will evacuate. We are ready to evacuate. If necessary, we will do so,” Jaiswal said.

“We have set up a control room in the Ministry of External Affairs. We have an emergency helpline number,” Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing.

Talking about concerns over the safety of Indian nationals in Haiti, Jaiswal assured that the Indian Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which has Haiti certification, has also taken prompt action.

“Our embassy in Santo Domingo is monitoring the situation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also monitoring the situation comprehensively,” Jaiswal said.

There are currently an estimated 50 to 80 members of the Indian community in Haiti and the Indian Embassy is in constant communication with them. “The Embassy is in touch with all of them. We are monitoring the situation,” Jaiswal assured.

In light of the ongoing developments in Haiti, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided in a press release on Friday the contact details of a control room established to monitor the situation and provide information and assistance.

The contact information of the control room is: 1800118797 (toll-free), +91-11-23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905, +91-9968291988 (Whatsapp), situationroom@mea.gov.exist

“The Embassy of India in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and the Embassy in the Republic of Haiti have set up a 24-hour emergency helpline,” the MEA press release added.

Contact information: +1 (849) 398-9889, +1 (809) 870-3923, +1 (849) 507-7612, landline: +1, 8298934233, extension: 203, landline: +1 8298934233 , extension number: 213, amb.sdomingo@mea.gov.in, hoc.sdomingo@mea.gov.in, com.sdomingo@mea.gov.in, cons.sdomingo@mea.gov.in

Meanwhile, Haiti has been in turmoil since groups attacked the country’s largest prison in Port-au-Prince earlier this month, killing and injuring police and prison staff and causing some 3,500 inmates to escape, CNN reported In a state of emergency.

One gang leader, Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, blamed him for the attack and said the breakout was an attempt to overthrow Henry’s government.

Gangs currently control 80% of Haiti’s capital, according to United Nations estimates, and continue to fight for the remainder. While Henry was abroad, gangs surrounded the country’s main airport to prevent his safe return.

Looters and protesters also broke into the main Caribbean Port Services terminal in Port-au-Prince, but the terminal has since returned to the control of Haitian security forces, said Jocelin Villier, chief executive of the national port authority. .

The chaos has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, leaving more than 300,000 people displaced by gang violence.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)