As of today, Monday 1 April, the number of fatalities recorded over the Easter Week holidays had climbed to 29 for a total of 595 cases, including traffic accidents, drunkenness and food poisoning and drowning. According to El Caribe, reporting the release of Bulletin No. 4 from Emergency Operations Center (COE) director General Juan Manuel Mendez Garcia today, Monday 1 April, 27 people were killed in traffic accidents in places including San Juan de la Maguana, La Vega, La Altagracia (Higuey), Greater Santo Domingo, San Pedro de Macoris, Peravia (Bani), Hato Mayor, San Cristobal and Puerto Plata. Two people drowned in Boca Chica and Rio San Juan. A total of 289 were affected by traffic accidents, most of which, 188, were caused by motorcycles, 134 cases of alcohol poisoning, including 12 minors, and 36 cases of food poisoning.
In the previous bulletin, released late yesterday, Sunday 31 March, Mendez Garcia said that 70 vehicles were stopped for driving at excess speed, shown on radar guns, and the Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMET) stopped 344 heavy vehicles for traveling without permits, 299 light vehicles for carrying too many passengers, 206 vehicles for having tires that were unsafe, and 57 pickups were stopped for excess cargo. Across the country, 4,546 motorcyclists were stopped for driving without helmets and 14 vehicles were retained for not having lights and one for excessive noise. The Ministry of Public Works and Communications provided roadside assistance to 371 people, while 199 received help through the Acarrea program.
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