Two Haitian police killed when drone accidentally explodes

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PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -Two Haitian police officers were killed and two others seriously wounded when an explosive drone accidentally detonated at a SWAT base near Haiti’s capital, authorities in the Caribbean nation said on Wednesday.

Directed by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, a task force has since March been operating explosive-laden “kamikaze” drones to help police fight powerful armed gangs that have taken control of most of the capital.

A private military company run by Blackwater founder Erik Prince is also taking part in the drone operations.

The prime minister’s office said in a statement the accident took place on Tuesday night in the hillside town of Kenscoff – a flashpoint in the conflict due to its strategic location overlooking the diplomatic hub of Petion-Ville.

“A kamikaze drone, transported by residents in good faith, exploded on the site, killing two police officers and seriously injuring two others,” his office said in a statement.

Citing several unnamed sources, the Miami Herald reported that six officers were hurt in the blast. The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Local residents found the drone after its operators lost contact with the device due to poor weather, it reported, and brought it to nearby police. Shortly after, it exploded.

Haiti’s national police said an investigation had been opened.

“We are taking all measures to ensure a thorough investigation into this tragedy,” Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, said on social media.

Armed groups began attacking Kenscoff at the start of this year. Rights groups report mass killings, rapes, arson and kidnappings, and thousands have fled their homes. Earlier this month, a three-year-old boy and seven staff were kidnapped from a local orphanage, including Irish missionary Gena Heraty.

Over 3,100 have been killed in the conflict in the first half of this year, according to U.N. reports.

(Reporting by Harold Isaac and Sarah Morland; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)