Florida couple kidnapped and being held for ransom in Haiti, family says

A Florida couple visiting the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince are being held at ransom after being kidnapped, according to their family.

Jean Dickens Toussaint and Abigail Toussaint were reportedly abducted on a bus on 18 March while visiting the stricken nation to see ailing relatives and attend a community festival.

A family friend who met the couple at the airport to escort them was also kidnapped, a niece of the couple told ABC Miami.

Kidnappings for ransom have skyrocketed in Haiti, with more than 1,200 reported in 2022, double that of those reported the previous year.

Joe Biden was expected to push Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau for Canada to lead restoration efforts in Haiti during at trip to Ottawa last week.