Dozens of foreigners, including many from the United States and Canada, are stranded in Haiti, desperately trying to leave the violence-torn country where anti-government gangs are battling police and have already shut down both of the country鈥檚 international airports.

They were in Haiti for reasons ranging from adoptions to missionary and humanitarian work. Now, they are locked down in hotels and homes, unable to leave by air, sea or land as Haiti remains paralyzed by the mayhem and the gangs鈥� demands that Prime Minister Ariel Henry resign.

鈥淲e are seriously trapped,鈥� said Richard Phillips, a 65-year-old from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, who has traveled to Haiti more than three dozen times to work on projects for the United Nations, USAID and now, a Haitian nonprofit called Papyrus.

After arriving in Haiti in late February, Phillips flew to the southern coastal city of Les Cayes to teach farmers and others how to operate and repair tractors, cultivators, planters and other machinery in an area known for its corn, rice, peas and beans.

Once his work was done, Phillips flew to the capital, Port-au-Prince, only to find that his flight had been canceled. He stayed at a nearby hotel, but the gunfire was relentless, so moved on to a safer area.

鈥淲e are actually quite concerned about where this is going,鈥� he told The Associated Press by phone. 鈥淚f the police force collapses, there鈥檚 going to be anarchy in the streets, and we might be here a month or more.鈥�

Scores of people have been killed in the gang attacks that began Feb. 29, and more than 15,000 people have been left homeless by the violence.

Earlier this week, Haiti鈥檚 government extended a state of emergency and nightly curfew to try and quell the violence, but the attacks continue.

Gangs have burned police stations, released more than 4,000 inmates from Haiti鈥檚 two biggest prisons and attacked Port-au-Prince鈥檚 main airport, which remains closed. As a result, the prime minister has been unable to return home after a trip to Kenya to push for the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force from the East African country.

Phillips said he has exhausted all options to leave Haiti by air, noting that a helicopter operator couldn鈥檛 get insured for such a flight and a private plane pilot said that approach would be too risky. As for trying to trek to the neighboring Dominican Republic: 鈥淚t鈥檚 possible we could walk miles and miles to get to a border, but I鈥檓 sure that鈥檚 dangerous as well.鈥�

Despite being stuck, Phillips said he remains calm.

鈥淚鈥檝e been shot at many times in Haiti and have bullet holes in my truck,鈥� he said. 鈥淧ersonally, I鈥檓 kind of used to it. But I鈥檓 sure other people, it鈥檚 quite traumatic for them.鈥�

Yvonne Trimble, who has lived in Haiti for more than 40 years, is among the U.S. expats who can鈥檛 leave.

She and her husband are in the northern coastal city of Cap-Haitien, waiting for a private evacuation flight for missionaries that had already been canceled once.

鈥淲e鈥檙e completely locked down,鈥� she said by phone. 鈥淭his is the worst I鈥檝e seen it. It鈥檚 total anarchy.鈥�

Trimble noted how a mob surrounded the airport in Cap-Haitien recently and began throwing rocks and bottles following a rumor that the prime minister was going to land.

She and her husband are scheduled to fly out next week courtesy of Florida-based Missionary Flights International.

The company鈥檚 vice president of administration, Roger Sands, said Missionary Flights International has received up to 40 calls from people hoping to leave or remain on standby.

鈥淲e鈥檙e getting phone calls constantly,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he big concern is that every time people see an airplane, they think the prime minister is coming back to the country, and there鈥檚 a large segment of the society that doesn鈥檛 want that to happen. So we don鈥檛 want to be the first ones in.鈥�

It鈥檚 not clear when Haiti鈥檚 two international airports will reopen.

鈥淭his is difficult for us,鈥� Sands said. 鈥淲e hate seeing our planes on the ground when there鈥檚 need.鈥�

A missionary couple who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of their safety said they have been living in Haiti for several years but won鈥檛 leave because they鈥檙e in the middle of adopting a 6-year-old boy.

鈥淭here is no choice to be made. We鈥檙e here as family,鈥� the woman said.

Meanwhile, her husband was supposed to fly to the U.S. last week for medical care since he has Type 1 diabetes and has developed a neuropathy that causes severe pain in his legs and back, and muscle-wasting in his legs, making it difficult to move.

For now, the four appointments he made are on hold.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little frustrating,鈥� he said.

Also unable to leave are Matt Prichard, a 35-year-old from Lebanon, Ohio, and his family. Prichard, COO of a missionary, has two children 鈥� an infant and toddler 鈥� with his Haitian wife, as well as an 18-year-old son.

The rest of his family hasn鈥檛 been able to get documents to enter the U.S. yet, so they will all stay in southern Haiti for now.

鈥淲e unfortunately seem to be stuck,鈥� he said.

Prichard noted that his son is stressed out by the situation, telling him he should leave because 鈥榯his isn鈥檛 a good place for you. Just get out of here.鈥�

But Prichard said, 鈥淎s a father, you can鈥檛 leave your kids or your family.鈥�

He said the local grocery store has nearly run out of basic goods and gas has been hard to find.

鈥淭he expat community here is really our solace,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that connection, those relationships, that really are getting us through.鈥�

D谩nica Coto, The Associated Press