Politician’s car hits bus in Haiti; 11 dead

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A police official said Sunday that a Haitian legislator driving an SUV slammed into a small passenger bus killing 11 people, including an infant.

Seme Calixte, commissioner of the police in the western town of Saint Marc, said authorities suspect the lawmaker was speeding when he lost control of his four-wheel drive in the Artibonite region.

Calixte identified the driver as Jules Lionel Anelus, a member of Haiti’s lower house Chamber of Deputies.

The police commissioner said Sunday that the infant and the child’s mother were among those killed in a colorfully-painted bus known as a “tap tap.” Another 10 people including Anelus were injured in the Saturday afternoon crash, which is still being investigated. Calixte said it’s too early to say whether any criminal charges will be filed.

Deadly traffic accidents are common in Haiti, where police seldom enforce traffic laws and many vehicles are severely overloaded.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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