JAMAICA HAS agreed to accept orphans from Haiti as the country plunges further into crisis.

As violence continues to escalate in the French-speaking Caribbean country, Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security for Jamaica, Horace Chang, said orphans from Haiti will be welcomed.

Last week a state of emergency was declared in Haiti as thousands of inmates escaped two of the country’s biggest jails – leaving at least a dozen people dead.

Jamaica’s minister did not reveal how many orphans Jamaica would be accommodating from Haiti, but said plan are being made.

“We have agreed to accommodate a number of individuals through legitimate means, namely the orphans residing in an orphanage facing isolation and challenges, who are being cared for by the Mustard Seed Community. Logistics for this arrangement are currently underway. Additionally, we have been approached by the World Bank to host their staff here, and we are actively working on facilitating this process,” stated the minister.

According to government figures, approximately 30,000 children live in orphanages across Haiti.

Haiti has also imposed a night-time curfew in an attempt to curb the violence.

The minister also said the Jamaican government was “actively engaging CARICOM and international partners to stabilise Haiti.”