The kidnapping was confirmed by Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, NPH International, in a statement on its website and its Haiti affiliate. NPH was founded by Father William Wasson, a Catholic priest, to serve vulnerable children.

Eight people including an Irish missionary and a 3-year-old child remained missing Monday after gunmen stormed an orphanage in Haiti, the latest attack in an area controlled by a powerful collection of armed gangs.

Gena Heraty, the facility's director, was among several people taken from the privately run Sainte-Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff, near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, during the early hours of Sunday morning, according to mayor Massillon Jean.