Bus Plows Into Crowd, Kills 34 Roadside Revelers  

In a tragic incident, an out-of-control bus plowed into people taking part in an early morning street festival in Haiti, killing at least 34 people and injuring 17.

The accident occurred in the wee hoursof Sunday in the city of Gonaives when a passenger bus first hit two people at a bus stop and then continued into a crowd of people participating in a Rara festival, an Easter season musical celebration.

Angry festival-goers then attacked the bus and tried to burn it before police rescued the passengers aboard. The bus driver fled and was being sought. Drivers in Haiti who are involved in accidents rarely stop at the scene because they fear attack by local mobs seeking to extract vigilante justice.

Sources said the bus was trying to speed away from a hit-and-run accident and plowed into street musicians.

The Blue Sky bus line, a private company offering long-distance routes, is an upscale option for travel in Haiti with modern, air-conditioned coaches.

In a statement Haitian President Jovenel Moise "expressed his deep sadness following the terrible accident."The injured were being treated at a hospital in Gonaives, about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of the capital of Port Au Prince.