A survivor of the worst gang attack on Haitian journalists says colleagues were cut down by bullets

Wounded journalists in bloodied clothes waited for help on the floor of Haiti's General Hospital after it was attacked by gangs a day before Christmas Day.

A local photographer who was inside the hospital in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday recounts his experience during the attack that killed two reporters and wounded several others.

Jean Feguens Regala said he knew the area was dangerous but like other journalists, he was invited to cover the reopening of the capital's biggest public medical facility.

Street gangs forced the closure of the General Hospital early this year and authorities had pledged to reopen the facility on Christmas Eve. But as journalists gathered to cover the event, suspected gang members opened fire.

It was the latest violence in Haiti, crippled by an unprecedented crisis that has seen coordinated gang attacks on prisons, police stations and the main international airport.

Regala said that when they arrived at the hospital, they could already hear gunfire, but it seemed to be two or three blocks away.

“When we saw the armored police car, we thought it would be ok. There was no sign we would be attacked,” said the photographer.

Street gangs have taken over an estimated 85% of Port-au-Prince and have also targeted the main international airport and Haiti’s two largest prisons.

Johnson “Izo” André, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader and part of the Viv Ansanm group of gangs, which that has taken control of much of Port-au-Prince, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack.

Video and photos taken by Regala show the aftermath of the attack, with several people lying on the floor of the hospital, bleeding from gunshot wounds.

As he was taking cover behind a gate, Regala saw when the two journalists who were killed fell to the ground as they were rushing to get inside the hospital.

“journalists were rushing to go inside the hospital, and there was nonstop shooting," he said.

I witnessed some journalists falling down – they couldn’t get up. Unfortunately, they were Makensy Nathou, who worked for Voice of America, and Jimmy Jean,” Regala added.

The Haitian Association of Journalists confirmed two reporters and a police officer were killed, and seven reporters were wounded in what it called “a macabre scene comparable to terrorism, pure and simple.”

Later, the government put out a statement saying it is “responding firmly to the attack."

"This heinous act, which targets an institution dedicated to health and life, constitutes an unacceptable attack on the very foundations of our society," it said.

Gang attacks have pushed Haiti’s health system to the brink of collapse with looting, setting fires, and destroying medical institutions and pharmacies in the capital.

The violence has created a surge in patients and a shortage of resources to treat them.