Bus crash on Haiti’s deadly National Road 6 kills at least 8, injures 26

FORT-LIBERTE —- A bus carrying workers to the Caracol Industrial Park near the northeast border with the Dominican Republic overturned early morning at the notoriously dangerous Madras bend along National Road 6, killing at least eight people and injuring 26 others in one of the Northeast Department’s deadliest accidents this year.

The crash occurred around 6 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, when the yellow-and-black worker transport bus from Limonade— a commune situated less than 10 miles from Cap-Haïtien in the Northern Department— lost control entering the sharp curve, witnesses said. The vehicle rolled violently, ejecting several passengers and trapping others in the crushed frame.

“It’s always like this in the morning — they rush so we’re not late,” passenger Judenel Paul, who survived the crash, told The Haitian Times. 

“If we are late any day, we will lose our jobs,” Chedeline Alphonse, another survivor, said. “Every morning, we board these buses hoping to arrive safe and sound. We have no choice.” 

Some of the Caracol Industrial Park workers on the bus, including Paul and Alphonse, said speeding, a poorly maintained road surface, an underinflated tire and mechanical issues may have contributed to the accident.

The accident renews longstanding concerns about National Road 6 (RN6), a crucial route linking Cap-Haïtien to Ouanaminthe and the Dominican Republic. The RN6 corridor has seen repeated deadly crashes, including a truck accident that killed four people in Terrier-Rouge in 2024 and a passenger van crash near Morne Casse the same year. Authorities and residents have long warned that the Madras bend is especially treacherous, with several major accidents reported annually.

Despite government promises to rehabilitate the highway, RN6 still lacks basic safety features such as guardrails, reflective markers, signage and reliable lighting.

“It was chaos,” a first responder says

First responders from the Trou-du-Nord brigade arrived more than two hours after the crash to what they described as a devastating scene.

“It was absolute chaos,” said Emmanuel Joseph. “Victims were lying on the ground, some motionless, others crying for help. Ambulances were rushing back and forth, and residents were helping however they could.”

Trou-du-Nord Mayor Eddlyn Étienne Joseph confirmed eight deaths — six at the scene and two later in the hospital. Five of the victims were men and three were women.

Dozens of injured workers were rushed to multiple medical centers, including Gasin, CEMEFCO, Trou-du-Nord, Los Angeles Hospital and the Milot Hospital.

Five patients — four women and a man — were admitted to Los Angeles Hospital. Eight more were treated in Trou-du-Nord, with five transferred to Milot in critical condition. CEMEFCO received eight victims, and at least five others were taken directly to Milot.

Many suffered fractures, head trauma and severe contusions, according to medical staff.

Workers say unsafe commutes are the norm

For thousands of workers at the Caracol Industrial Park, transportation is a daily gamble. Many buses are old, overcrowded and poorly maintained, with drivers pressed to arrive on time to avoid workers losing a day’s pay.

“Every morning we board these buses hoping to arrive safe and sound. We have no choice,” said worker Chedeline Alphonse. “If we arrive late, we lose our day’s work.”

No formal vehicle inspection or driver training system exists for the fleets transporting employees to the industrial park, one of the largest employers in the Northeast.

Fire brigades from Caracol, Trou-du-Nord, and Fort-Liberté responded, but — as in many parts of Haiti — had no proper rescue tools.

“We don’t have hydraulic cutters or extraction equipment,” said Joseph. “We did what we could with our hands. It’s heartbreaking.”

Residents say this latest tragedy should compel immediate action on a vital road with little to no safety structure.

“We keep losing our people on this road,” said witness Julienne Sénord. “How many more accidents before something changes?”

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