Corpses were removed and survivors rescued from under the debris of a speeding freighter truck that rammed into a 32-pax commuter bus headed from San Cristobal province to Santo Domingo on the early morning of Wednesday, 29 November 2023. The crash sent both freighter and bus 20 feet down into a gully beside the Carretera Sanchez road from Santo Domingo to San Cristobal. The tragedy occurred in Quita Sueño, Haina town.
A surveillance video shows the speeding freighter truck with its heavy load of cement when apparently the driver lost control at around 7am. The bus was parked beside the road, boarding a passenger in El Hoyo de Yoya.
Both the bus and the freighter truck were totaled.
Neighbors say that traffic accidents are frequent in that spot, mostly involving imprudent truck drivers who take the decline in the road at a high speed. The section links the Port of Haina Oriental with the industrial park of Haina, both in San Cristobal province.
Preliminary reports are that of the 27 persons on the bus, 19 were taken to public hospitals – Juan Pablo Pina in San Cristobal, Ney Arias Lora in Santo Domingo North, Marcelino Velez in Santo Domingo West and Vinicio Calventi in Los Alcarrizos. 10 persons are reported dead in the accident.
The rescue operation began immediately by community members and later involved 911 and Civil Defense units, 15 ambulances, firefighter units from Haina, Santo Domingo and the National District, and a crane from the Transit and Transport Security Agency (Digesett) until efforts were suspended at 9pm. They will be resumed on Thursday, 30 November at 8am, the Civil Defense said.
The media reported how despite the tragedy, dozens of persons pilfered the cement for their use and sale.
Diario Libre dedicated four of its six editorial sections to the tragedy. Both Diario Libre and Listin Diario news coverage attribute the accident to reckless driving and sustained lenience of authorities. The media stated the accidents will continue to occur until the authorities take action to enforce the law and its consequences.
The driver of the freight truck was arrested. The driver of the bus has not been yet located and is suspect to have died in the crash, with his corpse not yet identified.
This is the second major tragedy to affect San Cristobal. On 14 August 2023, a major explosion caused the death of 38 people in San Cristobal city. This is preliminary attributed to the inadequate storage of inflammable materials.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
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Diario Libre
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Listin Diario
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30 November 2023