Seven Haitians and one Dominican died when a minibus crashed into a cement freight truck that was irregularly parked on the Bani-Azua highway due to mechanical problems, but without any hazard lights. Following the crash, the driver of the cement truck fled the scene. The accident occurred at around 1am on the southwestern highway. The Dominican was the fare-collector of the bus. 13 passengers were hospitalized in Azua, several with serious injuries. The bus, which on the Elias Pina-Santo Domingo route was being driven by Jose Elias Ortiz, who was seriously injured. The Haitians were returning to their country.