American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were released after enduring nearly two harrowing weeks as hostages, aid group ‘El Roi Haiti’ announced Wednesday.
Dorsainvil, who works for the group, and her daughter were held in Port-au-Prince, the Caribbean nation’s capital, according to the El Roi Haiti release.
The pair were kidnapped amid a humanitarian mission on July 27.
Witnesses said the kidnapping occurred in an area of Port-au-Prince under gang control. It remains unclear if a ransom was involved in the release, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The U.S. State Department praised the release and told the outlet “these individuals have been through a very difficult ordeal, both physically and mentally.”
BREAKING American nurse and child kidnapped in Haiti have been freed after 2 week ordealhttps://t.co/mw3wq5kwKb pic.twitter.com/zq3Y1GjvdQ
— Mirror Breaking News (@MirrorBreaking_) August 9, 2023
El Roi Haiti, a Christian group, conducts aid work in Haiti with a special focus on education and health care, The AP reported. (RELATED: US Embassy In Haiti Goes Into Lockdown Amid Gunfire, Violence)
“There is still much to process and to heal from in this situation, so we are asking that no attempts be made to contact Alix or her family at this time,” the El Roi Haiti release continued.
Dorsainvil, a New Hampshire native and Regis College graduate, is married to El Roi Haiti founder Sandro Dorsainvil, according to The AP.