The family of an Irishwoman who was among eight people taken by armed kidnappers in Haiti have asked people to keep the group "in your hearts".

Gena Heraty and seven others, including a three-year-old child, were taken from an orphanage in Kenscoff in southern Haiti on Sunday.

Ms Heraty, from Westport in Co Mayo, has worked in the Caribbean country for decades.

She oversees the orphanage, which is operated by the humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Freres Et Soeurs (Our Little Brothers And Sisters) and is located about 12 miles from the capital Port-au-Prince.

Ireland's deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs, Simon Harris, said he spoke by phone to Haiti's foreign minister, Harvel Jean-Baptiste, and asked that everything be done to secure the release of the group.

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