70 people killed in Haiti gang attack 

At least 70 people have been killed and 3,000 forced to flee when armed men belonging to the Gran Grif gang attacked a town in central Haiti.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that the attack occurred on Thursday in Pont-Sonde, 100km (60 miles) northwest of Port-au-Prince.

The UN added that at least 16 people were seriously injured in the attack, including two gang members who were hit during an exchange of gunfire with Haitian police.

The office said gang members also reportedly set fire to at least 45 homes and 34 cars.

“Members of the Gran Grif gang used automatic rifles to shoot at the population, killing at least 70 people, among them about 10 women and three infants,” UN Human Rights Office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement, adding that the agency was “horrified” by the attack.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack, his spokesperson said on Friday.