Havana/The number of deaths from traffic accident last Monday in Ciego de Ávila it increased this Tuesday to seven. Michel Rodríguez Hernández, 34 years old and a worker at the Playa Coco hotel, joined – at 1 in the morning, according to information on social networks – the six deaths that were initially counted, four of them at the time of the incident and two others in the hospital.
The number of those admitted is a mystery, since the most recent official information omits information on how many remain in the Roberto Rodríguez hospital in Morón, where the majority are. It does specify that there are six patients at the Antonio Luaces Iraola, in Ciego de Ávila, five of them in care, and another, Aniuska Planché Speck, 38 years old and resident of Ciro Redondo, in critical condition.
The official press publishes this Wednesday the result of the preliminary investigation into the event, which occurred early Monday morning at the exit of Morón, on the road that goes to Turiguanó Island. In the midst of a fog visible in the images of the accident, two Yutong buses, which were transporting state employees to and from their jobs, collided due to excessive speed on the part of one of them, as some witnesses had warned on social networks.
Two Yutong buses, which were transporting state employees to and from their jobs, collided due to excessive speed on the part of one of them, as some witnesses had warned on social networks.
The version was confirmed by Norge Pérez Fraga, second chief of Police Instruction in Ciego de Ávila, who attributed responsibility to the Yutong from the main city. “The driver of the offending vehicle, which was traveling from south to north, cut into the path of the Transmetro vehicle, which was traveling in the opposite direction, in the middle of severe fog that impeded visibility,” he told the newspaper. Granma.
On the first day, the names of six deceased were announced: the drivers Yuniester Oliva Artiles and Yohelvis Reino Veitía, from Ciego de Ávila, and the workers Ezequiel Días Matos (from Baraguá), Daniel Trujillo Rodríguez (from Morón), Yaensy Conde Vega and Javier Hernández Zamora (both from Ciro Redondo). Hours later, the official press raised the number of fatalities to 11, before retracting it and returning to the initial figure of six dead.
The number of injured people is still officially at 59, although the death of Rodríguez Hernández should have lowered the number by at least one, and it is unknown if any minor hospitalized patients were discharged. On social networks, some acquaintances of the injured speak of cases of improvement, but there is no more specificity in the official data.
The incident has caused commotion in the area, due to the high number of people affected. In Morón and its surroundings there are many people dedicated to the tourism sector who knew some of the victims, which explains the wave of solidarity. Hundreds of people went to the blood bank to donate at the call of the authorities and in some informal buying and selling groups, contact was offered to provide, free of charge, some medicines for the injured.
There have also been many who have warned of the dangers that the profession of bus driver entails with the poor condition of the roads and the long days, both in time and distance, in addition to the lack of information about weather conditions. “Condolences. I am a key worker and I know the risks. And I tell you, it’s not worth it,” lamented a user after the death of Michel Rodríguez.
There have also been many who have warned of the dangers that the profession of bus driver entails with the poor condition of the roads and the long hours.
The Minister of Transportation, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, reported on social networks of the decrease in traffic accidents in 2024, but, highlighting the Morón accident, he indicated that there is no room for congratulations. “What happened this morning [por el lunes] in Ciego de Ávila reminds us how painful they can be, and also points us to a beginning of the year with numerous massive accidents with fatal consequences, something that demands greater attention from the entire society and especially from those of us who are responsible for it.” , said.
Only four days before, an accident on the National Highway near Passenger WaterCienfuegos, had left two women dead – one of Cuban nationality and the other, Italian – and seven injured.
According to the data from the National Road Safety CommissionLast year there were 7,507 traffic accidents, 12% less than those reported in 2023 (8,556). In addition, deaths decreased by 13% (634) and injuries were 6,613, 4% less compared to the accidents that occurred the previous year.
The authorities insist that the main causes are infractions by drivers, followed by the poor condition of the roads due to the lack of maintenance and the age of the vehicle fleet, which is between 40 and 70 years on average.
