Ten members of a U.S. charity group have been detained by Haitian police for allegedly trying to traffic children from the earthquake-devastated country, Haitian authorities said.

 

Ten members of a U.S. charity group have been detained by Haitian police for allegedly trying to traffic children from the earthquake-devastated country, Haitian authorities said.

The five men and five women with U.S. passports were caught late Friday while they were about to cross border to enter the Dominican Republic with 33 children, aged between two months to 14 years.

Head of the charity group told police they had good intentions and came to help local children who had lost parents in the quake or were abandoned.

However, when questioned, most of the children said their parents are still alive and some could give contact information of their families.

The U.S. embassy in Haiti confirmed the detention of its citizens for "alleged violations of Haitian laws related to immigration."

The Haitian authorities on Sunday warned of a rise in child smuggling cases which was making use of the chaos in the aftermath of the quake on Jan. 12.

The person in charge of a Haitian social welfare institute said "numerous children" have left Haiti without obtaining legal authorization.