Havana/A traffic accident that occurred this Thursday afternoon on the National Highway near the municipality of Aguada de Pasajeros, in Cienfuegos, left two dead – one of Cuban nationality and the other, Italian – and seven injured. The accident took place when a Transtur minibus and a truck collided, according to “preliminary reports” reported by the official media.
The injured were transferred to the Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima General University Hospital, in the city of Cienfuegos. After the collision, the 16-seater bus, in which eight tourists were traveling, hit the highway separator at kilometer 209, according to the Perlavisión telecenter. The vehicle belongs to the state base of Santa Fe, Havana.
The National Highway, one of the two main arteries in the country next to the Central Highway, is in a deplorable state in many sections due to lack of maintenance.
The accident took place when a Transtur minibus and a truck collided, according to “preliminary reports”
It is widespread throughout Cuba’s road network, and was recognized last year by the Minister of Transportation, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, who added as another reason for the high accident rate the significant percentage of overused vehicles, with between 40 and 70 years of operation.
By July 2024, however, the traffic accident figures they seemed to improve. The head of the Specialized Traffic Body of the Ministry of the Interior, Roberto Rodríguez, said that the first half of that year had better indicators than the same period in 2023. As he listed, 543 fewer accidents occurred – a drop of 13% – the number Deaths fell by 23% and injuries fell by 5%. Likewise, the number of victims between 21 and 35 years old – 35% of those killed in accidents are in this age range – also decreased, although Rodríguez did not offer specific figures in that case.
The military did not delve into the cause of the decrease in accidents, although it is possible that the reduced circulation of vehicles due to lack of fuel is an important factor.
