PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – At least 10 people were killed and several others injured after two trucks collided over the weekend, the Directorate of Civil Protection reported.

It said that the accident on Friday night occurred when one of the trucks trying to avoid a vehicle that had broken down crashed into the second carrying mostly “madan-sara” (hucksters) with their goods, and overturned.

A statement issued by the National Ambulance Centre said 10 people were killed instantly and that as many others were injured and were in a critical condition.

It said heavy rains had hampered the rescue operations but that many of the injured were rushed to the hospitals of Quartier Morin and Milot.

Such accidents in Haiti are common, given the condition of vehicles and the roads, forcing thousands of people to use freight trucks, often overloaded.

…Another four in flood

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – At least four people were killed after heavy rains over the past three days pounded this French-speaking Caribbean Community country, officials said yesterday.

In a preliminary estimate of the damage caused by the rains, officials said that there had been widespread flooding across the country resulting in loss of lives and damage to properties.

They said in Morne Caillot, the 6th communal section of Port-de-Paix, a husband and wife died and two others were injured after one section of their home collapsed.

In Gressier, a 40-year-old man was swept away by the waters on Saturday and the body was later recovered in the commune of West Department, while in the Southeast department, a man in his 60s died from drowning while attempting to cross the Moreau River in Bainet.

The officials said that the number of families affected by the rains were in excess of 2,700, while more than 2,800 houses were flooded, mostly in Baradères in the Department of Nippes.

Weather officials warned that the cold front associated with a potentially wet air mass was still near Haiti, and could cause more showers and thunderstorms in several sections of the country.

“Given the persistence of bad weather that led to the saturation of the soil, the risk of flooding, landslides and mudslides are important and the Ministry of Interior invites the population to exercise caution, to strictly implement the safety instructions and to continue to follow information around the evolution of the meteorological conditions.”