(NBC News) — A group of American missionaries kidnapped in Haiti over the weekend are being held by one of the country’s most notorious gangs, according to a Haitian police official.

Sixteen U.S. nationals and one Canadian were visiting an orphanage on Saturday as part of their work for Christian Aid Ministries, according to a statement from the nonprofit issued on Sunday. Among those being held are five children, the statement added.

“Join us in praying for those who are being held hostage, the kidnappers, and the families, friends, and churches of those affected,” Christian Aid Ministries said in the statement.

The gang, known as the 400 Mawozo, abducted the missionaries in the Ganthier commune east of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, police inspector Frantz Champagne told The Associated Press on Sunday.

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