The administration of the Corporación Dominicana de Electricidad fired the five maintenance team that was on duty on Saturday, 4 April in the southern city of Baní for negligence in their job. Despite calls to the CDE office in Baní of neighbors in an area where a high tension electrical line had fallen, the brigade only lifted the 7,200 volt line after a tragedy occurred. The CDE office of Baní said that the five were repairing a nearby breakdown. When the CDE brigade did not arrive, neighbors set off the area with chairs, but one motorcycle taxi driver, 44-year old Manuel Pinales did not feel his life was in danger and went through. He was transporting 34-year Bienvenida Altagracia Medrano, her 2-year old daughter, Yanibel, and two of her step-children, 9 year old Alba Luisa Prandi and 5 year old Jose Antonio Prandi. They all died from burns on the spot. The mother of the two older children lives in Spain. Pinales was the father of 12 children, his youngest, two months old. The Baní district attorney ordered the arrest of the brigade. The CDE said it would cover the funeral costs. The city of Baní decreed two days of mourning.
