Up to 20 die in Haitian traffic accident as truck plunges into canal

Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- A newspaper is reporting that up to 20 people were killed in Haiti after the truck they were traveling in plunged into a canal.

The daily Le Matin said the pilgrims were traveling to the northern part of the country Friday night when the accident occurred on a highway near the town of Marchand Dessalines.

The Saturday report said some of the passengers were crushed by the truck and others drowned. A police spokesman couldn't be reached for comment.

Traffic accidents with double-digit death tolls occur regularly in impoverished Haiti, where road safety rules are seldom enforced or respected.