In the early morning of Sunday, September 1, 2024, an otherwise peaceful Dominican Republic community was disrupted by a catastrophic accident.

A truck loaded with avocados crashed into a bar in Azua, a town in the south roughly 62 miles west of Santo Domingo, the country’s capital. This tragic event resulted in at least 11 deaths and over 40 injuries, making it one of the most tragic traffic occurrences in the region’s recent history.

The director of civil defense, Juan Salas, verified the dreadful details to the press. Currently, authorities are scrutinizing video footage from nearby cameras to discern the cause of the collision, which is still unclear, according to Salas’s statement.

Diego Pesqueira, a police spokesperson, revealed that a police sergeant was among the victims. Pesqueira also noted that while the truck driver fled immediately following the collision, a passenger from the truck was detained by authorities.

Shaira Castillo, a representative for the National Health Service, provided specifics about the injured individuals. As Castillo reported, the victims cover a broad age spectrum, with injured women aged between 17 and 45 and men aged from 18 to 55. Four of those injured were said to be in a critical state and were swiftly transported to a nearby hospital for immediate medical aid.

Joel Montaño, the provincial health director of Azua, reported that most of the injured were taken to San Juan due to its closeness to the accident site. Four individuals with multiple injuries and fractures were admitted to the Taiwan Hospital of Azua in stable condition.

The National Institute of Forensic Sciences in Azua has received six bodies, with more expected to arrive. An institute source confirmed to local media that the majority of the deceased were men, but a 20-year-old woman was also among the dead.

Authorities are still investigating and are focused on finding the truck driver who escaped the scene. The passenger taken into custody from the vehicle may provide essential details about the circumstances leading to the collision. This incident, involving a truck transporting avocados—a typical freight in the region—has sparked concerns about road safety and regulations for commercial vehicles in the area.