Flight carrying Haitian orphans lands in Pittsburgh

CORAOPOLIS, Pa. (AP) — A flight carrying 53 Haitian orphans evacuated from the earthquake-ravaged island nation has arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport.

A flight carrying the orphans landed around 9:20 a.m. Tuesday at the airport just outside Pittsburgh.

The orphans will be taken to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for medical care and be placed in group homes until their adoptions are finalized.

Gov. Ed Rendell and other officials escorted the orphans from Haiti, where they and their American caretakers spent days in dire need of food and water after last week’s massive quake.

The families of two Pittsburgh sisters working at the orphanage used Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about their plight, prompting Monday’s evacuation.