Road crash in east Cuba kills 2, injures 28

A highway collision in east Cuba has claimed two lives and injured as many as 28 people, local media said on Friday.

The tragic accident occurred late Thursday, when a transportation truck that had stopped to leave off passengers was hit by a cargo truck hauling food.

The incident took place at 18 kilometers of the National Highway, near the city of Santiago de Cuba, on the eastern end of the island.

First Lt. Yoandri Rodriguez, of the provincial transit unit, said the collision propelled both vehicles forward several meters, spilling the cargo onto the other truck.

Police and rescue workers transferred victims to hospitals in Santiago de Cuba and another city, San Luis.

Traffic accidents rank as the fifth cause of death in Cuba, and according to the National Transit Directorate the main reasons are speeding, negligence and alcohol consumption while driving, though drivers complain roads are in poor condition.

Officials are investigating the cause of the crash. Enditem