RIO BUENO, Trelawny — There was a sense of deja vu on the North Coast Highway here in Rio Bueno where two male Excellence Oyster Bay employees died after the Toyota Coaster bus that was transporting workers to the hotel slammed into a truck, parked on the soft shoulder early Saturday morning.

Ten workers were transported to hospital for treatment to injuries that they sustained.

The deceased, both of St Ann addresses, have been identified as 32-year-old Mikal Thompson, housekeeping coordinator of Breadnut Hill, Ocho Rios, and 28-year-old fabric attendant Reace Anderson of Bamboo.

Reports are that about 5:30 am a Peterbilt motor truck was parked on the left soft shoulder of a section where the highway bypasses Río Bueno, when the Toyota Coaster bus, which was travelling towards Duncans, slammed into the back of the truck.

Thompson and Anderson, who were both thrown from the bus, sustained multiple injuries and died on the spot, while 10 other passengers were taken to the Falmouth Public General Hospital for treatment.

In early September, three people, including a man and his wife, were killed in a motor vehicle crash involving a Toyota Coaster bus and a Toyota Hiace bus on the Braco leg of the North Coast Highway, a short distance from yesterday’s crash.

Police reported that 22 others were injured in that collision.

The three deceased, all of St Ann addresses, were identified as 62-year-old driver Newvin Johnson of Liberty Valley; Tomie McCook, and his wife Annette Brown McCook, both 49, of Aberdeen, Brown’s Town.

In both instances the Coaster buses involved were contracted to transport workers from St Ann to hotels in the neighbouring parish of Trelawny.

Scores of onlookers, who thronged the roadway Saturday morning, stared in shock and disbelief at the mangled bus which was wedged into the back of the truck.

Among the bystanders who converged on the scene were solemn-looking hotel workers who expressed their shock at the tragedy involving their colleagues.

“When you go out on the road and return home safely you have to give thanks to God,” expressed a female worker, her face contorted with grief.

Firefighters were also seen busy using power hoses to wash off the blood, mixed with small pieces of what appeared to be flesh and bones, metal parts from the bus and other debris strewn on the roadway.

A sombre mood also charged the atmosphere outside the Accident and Emergency Department area of the Falmouth Public General Hospital where scores of grim-faced hotel workers and family members assembled.

Among the gathering at the hospital was a St Mary native who journeyed from his parish to the hospital for an update on his daughter’s condition.

“I got the opportunity to speak to her and she said she is feeling some pain in her leg but it is nothing life threatening,” the concerned father told the Jamaica Observer.

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, in a release, expressed deep sadness at the loss of lives and critical injuries to members of the hotel’s staff.

“I am distraught that we have yet another fatal accident on our roads, adding to the record number already recorded for the year. I am further saddened that the victims are vital members of the tourism industry who would otherwise be making a sterling contribution to the sector,” Bartlett said.

The tourism minister also stated that discussions have started with key stakeholders, including the police and the National Works Agency, to determine the reason for the frequent crashes along the corridor and to explore possible mitigating action.

He expressed condolences to the families of the two deceased staff members and their colleagues at Excellence Oyster Bay and hoped that the 10 injured employees will come out with a clean slate, even as they struggle to overcome the trauma.

Saturday’s crash pushes the number of road fatalities recorded by the police across the island since the start of the year to 404.