Seven die in Trelawny highway crash as Chang demands tougher road enforcement

National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang on Saturday called for a harder line on reckless driving after a two-vehicle crash on the Falmouth bypass in Trelawny left seven people dead and one critically hurt.

Chang said the toll was especially troubling given stepped-up police patrols, technology, and islandwide roadblocks. One reckless driver, he argued, can still slip through and destroy Jamaican lives. He urged the police to intensify already heavy summer operations and said ministries will work together on highway safety. Transport Minister Darryl Vaz also condemned the crash.

Trelawny police Superintendent Velonique Campbell said the collision happened about 8:00 a.m. Friday near Bog Gate on the North Coast Highway. A Toyota motor truck with five occupants was heading toward St. Ann when it reportedly drifted right and hit a Hino motor truck carrying three people toward Montego Bay. Five people, including the Hino driver, died at the scene. Two others later died at Falmouth Hospital. The Toyota driver remains in serious condition. Police said Trelawny has logged 10 fatal collisions and 20 deaths so far in 2026, up from nine collisions and 15 deaths in 2025.

In St. Catherine, Marine Police detained six more Haitian nationals less than a day after two others were found in bushes, bringing the total to eight: five adult men, two adult women, and one teenage girl. Senior Superintendent Leighton Gray said the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard joined the hunt after a vessel earlier slipped police. The blue boat, named Stay Strong and marked JMFO126RP, is believed to have been bound for the United States. Haitian authorities and PAHO were notified, and medical checks were arranged.

Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon ordered a full inquiry into the drowning of 16-year-old Munro College student Kamill Reynolds at a St. Thomas beach after he and football teammates went swimming. Police said a strong current pulled him out; a teammate could not reach him. Dixon said the ministry awaits the school's report and stands with the St. Elizabeth teen's family.

Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott said the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation should withhold land titles for the Silver Sun housing scheme until ownership of a public road running through the gated development is clarified. Planning director Chad Allen said no lease for the roadway has been found.

In Alligator Pond, Manchester, councillor Omar Robinson appealed for urgent government help as rough seas erode beaches and homes, strand fishermen, and shutter businesses. Residents called the conditions among the worst in decades.