HAITI – At least 70 people, including three infants, were killed in a gang attack in the central Haiti town of Pont Sondé, the United Nations Human Rights Office said in a statement on Friday. Members of the “Gran Grif” gang used automatic rifles to kill at least 70 people, including 10 women and three infants, according to the UN. The attack occurred in Haiti’s Artibonite department, a crucial agricultural center about 50 miles north of Port-au-Prince, where gang violence has continued to spread, according to the UN. At least 16 people were seriously injured in the attack, including two gang members hit during an exchange of fire with Haitian police, the UN said. The gang members also set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, forcing some residents to flee. The Haitian Ministry of Health said they had mobilized to respond to the incident but faced challenges accessing the site due to the tense security situation. “Despite an extremely difficult security context, the victims of this attack are being cared for by local institutions,” the ministry said. Haiti’s prime minister Garry Conille offered his condolences to those affected by the attack and said law enforcement would be “stepping up its response.” “This odious crime, perpetrated against defenseless women, men, and children, is not only an attack on these victims but on the entire Haitian nation,” he added. CNN has reached out to the Haitian National Police for comment.

“To those who sow terror, I say this: you will not break our resolve,” said Haiti’s prime minister Conille. “You will not subdue this people who have always fought for their dignity and freedom. We will never give up our right to live in peace, in security, and in justice.” (CNN)…[+]