Susan Candiotti: Jamaica violence so intense nurses fainted

Susan Candiotti

CNN Correspondent Susan Candiotti is reporting from Kingston, Jamaica, where soldiers in tanks, in armored cars and on foot patrolled the capital on orders from the prime minister to restore calm after days of violence.

CANDIOTTI: West Kingston is a ghost town. The streets were deserted for a third straight day after violence erupted Saturday. Businesses, including banks, electronic stores, and restaurants in West Kingston, remained shuttered. Open air markets were virtually deserted Tuesday.

A bus driver said she had few passengers on her route. "The situation is tense, very tense," said Janice Kerr, the bus driver.

Tuesday night is a very critical night to see whether calm indeed has been restored. The minister of national security reportedly says the situation is back to normal. However, since night has fallen, everyone is waiting and seeing whether rival gangs will clash in the streets.

Police said gunfire was sporadic throughout the day Tuesday, in stark contrast from this weekend, when bullets killed at least 22 people.

As we drove through the streets of West Kingston we saw at least two burned police cars -- cars that had been torched over the weekend. Police told me throughout the day they were trying to informally talk with gang leaders to ask them to back down.

One police officer who said he had been on duty since 9 a.m. told me late in the day that he only heard one gunshot during the day. Police report seizing only six weapons and only 140 rounds of ammunition in neighborhoods.

Autopsies are to be conducted on those who were killed to determine how they died and by whom, if possible. It's unclear how many civilians were killed, but we know that at least two police officers and one soldier were killed. One police officer was killed when he was hit in the head with a rock while clearing debris from the road; the other was burned to death in his vehicle.

CNN: Have you visited any of the area hospitals to gauge just how chaotic it's been in recent days?

CANDIOTTI: We stopped by the Kingston Public Hospital, the largest one in the country. Errol Beckford, the hospital's CEO, said that since Saturday they have treated 57 gunshot victims, 11 of them fatalities.

He said, "It's been traumatic. The majority of our staff are trained to cope with traumas of this nature. They have advised me this is the worst yet."

Beckford told me some of the nurses have fainted when they saw victims being brought in. He said staffing was up to 60 percent, which was higher than previous days. Over the weekend a number of doctors and nurses did not report to work because they were too scared. The hospital remained open throughout the violence.

CNN: Has tourism been affected?

CANDIOTTI: We know that at least a couple of the hotels in Kingston reported openings in their hotels after some tourists left earlier than expected. Police have advised tourists to stay away from Kingston for now. The more popular resorts to the north remain open and secure.