Thousands of women and children flee Haiti gang violence, Unicef says

UN agency says 8,500 abandon homes in Port-au-Prince

Families caught in crossfire' sleeping on concrete floors

Escalating gang violence has pushed nearly 8,500 women and children from their homes in Haiti's capital in the past two weeks, according to Unicef.

Officials say the gangs' fight over territory in Port-au-Prince has forced hundreds of families to abandon burned or ransacked homes in impoverished communities, with many of them staying in gymnasiums and other temporary shelters that are running out of water, food and items like blankets and clothes.