30 Guatemalans killed by hit-and-run truck driver

GUATEMALA CITY –At least 30 indigenous Guatemalans were killed on Wednesday night when they were struck on a highway by a semi-trailer truck which then fled the scene, a rescue agency said. 

The accident occurred at the entry point to the western town of Nahuala, which has a population of around 65,000, the majority of whom are K'iche' Maya. 

"Personnel from the Departmental Municipal Firefighters have counted at least 30 dead people at this point," spokesman Cecilio Chacaj told reporters, adding that 15 more were injured and were being treated at local hospitals.The driver fled the scene in his truck and his whereabouts are unknown. 

The group had congregated at the site of an earlier hit-and-run accident that had killed a resident of their neighborhood when they in turn were hit by the truck, Chacaj added. 

Local reports said the man killed in the first accident was a community leader and president of the state Council of Urban and Rural Development. 

The truck did not have its lights on when it struck the group of people which may have been why the driver did not spot them, according to local media. 

Traffic rules are frequently ignored in Guatemala, a Central American country of some 16.5 million people. 
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