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CBS News Miami Live
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American passengers on the charter flight from Haiti arrive at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon. Tania Francois

MIAMI — The first flight from Haiti in two weeks landed at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, a source told CBS News Miami. 

 The Global X charter flight from Cap-Haïtien touched down at 2:30 p.m.

According to a flight attendant, there were 47 passengers on board, all of whom were U.S. citizens escaping the chaos. Passengers say they became aware of the U.S.-sponsored flight through an email and all became aware through the State Department web page.

Right now, gangs have nearly taken control of the capital Port-Au-Prince, where approximately one million people live. 

The constant gunfire has forced many residents to stay locked in their homes for fear of violence and there is a concern of starvation. Nearly all relief groups have stopped operating because of the violence. 

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The arrival flight board at Miami International Airport shows the flight landing on Sunday afternoon. Tania Francois

 Avlot Quesaa was in Haiti visiting his mother and said conditions were terrible. 

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Passengers on the charter flight from Haiti to the U.S. arrive in Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon. Tania Francois

"The suffering you can only imagine," he told CBS News Miami's Joan Murray.

Quessa said he registered with the U.S. Embassy to get on the flight and signed a promissory note to pay for the flight later.

"It's an awesome feeling I feel like a diplomat," a flight attendant commented to Murray.

Joan Murray

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Joan Murray is an award-winning reporter who joined CBS Miami in August 2001, shortly before the 9/11 terror attacks. She was among the first to report the South Florida connection to the terrorists.