PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Gangs attacked two upscale neighborhoods in Haiti’s capital early Monday, killing at least a dozen people in surrounding areas.

Gunmen ransacked homes in the communities of Laboule and Thomassin before dawn, forcing residents to flee as some radio stations shouted asking for police. Despite a wave of violent gang attacks across Port-au-Prince that began on February 29, neighborhoods remained largely peaceful.

An Associated Press photographer saw the bodies of at least 12 men scattered on the streets of Pétionville, just below the mountain communities of Laboule and Thomassin.

Crowds gathered around the victims. One lay face-up in the street surrounded by a scattered deck of cards, and another was found face down in a pickup truck called “Tap-Tap” that functions as a taxi. At one of the crime scenes, a woman collapsed and had to be held by others after learning that a relative of hers had been killed.

“Abuse! This is abuse!” shouted a Haitian man who did not want to be identified as he raised his arms and stood next to one of the victims. “People of Haiti! Wake up!” An ambulance arrived shortly afterwards and made its way through Pétionville to collect the victims.

“We woke up this morning to find bodies on the street in our municipality of Pétionville,” said Douce Titi, who works in the mayor’s office. “Our community is not like that. We will begin disposing of these bodies before the children go to school and the vendors arrive.”

For some, however, it was too late. A relative of one of the victims held a small boy tightly to his chest, his head turned away from the crime scene.

The recent attacks raised fears that gang violence would not stop, despite Prime Minister Ariel Henry announcing his resignation nearly a week ago once an interim presidential council was established – a move the gangs had demanded.

Gangs have long opposed Henry, claiming he was never elected by the people as they blame him for worsening poverty. But critics of the gangs accuse them of trying to seize power for themselves or for unidentified Haitian politicians.

Also on Monday, the Haitian utility announced that four substations in the capital and elsewhere had been “destroyed and completely rendered non-functional.” As a result, large parts of Port-au-Prince were without power, including the Cite Soleil slum, the community of Croix-des-Bouquets and a hospital.

The company said criminals also seized important documents, cables, inverters, batteries and other items.

As gang violence continues unabated, Caribbean leaders have helped establish a transitional council. Originally it was supposed to have seven voting members. But one political party in Haiti rejected the offered seat and another is still arguing over who should be nominated.

Meanwhile, the deployment of a United Nations-backed Kenyan police force to combat gangs in Haiti has been delayed. The East African country said it would wait until the transitional council was established.

In a bid to curb the relentless violence, the Haitian government announced Sunday that it would extend the nighttime curfew until March 20.