The deaths, which occurred between October and November, have been communicated by the institution itself through messages of condolence, without the causes or associated health measures having been reported so far.
MADRID, Spain.- The Universidad de Oriente (UO), in Santiago de Cuba, has recorded at least eight deaths of professors and students since the beginning of October, according to messages of condolence published on its institutional channels.
Four of these deaths became publicly known in recent days. To these another four are added occurred within the same period, also notified by the university itself in its official spaces
The notes released by the UO have been limited to reporting the deaths and expressing condolences, without offering details about the causes or references to possible health monitoring measures.
The recent deaths correspond to:
- Nuris Ávila Saint Félix (1963–2025), professor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and founder of the Association of Cuban Pedagogues in Santiago. The UO highlighted its work in training specialists in Special Education and Speech Therapy. The institutional note expressed condolences to family members, colleagues and students, without specifying the circumstances of the death.
- Elio Hermis Castellanos Caballero (1948–2025), retired professor from the Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences, with more than 45 years of teaching and management experience at the university. He was Vice-Dean, Dean and later Administrative Vice-Rector. The UO reported his death and conveyed condolences, without offering additional details.
- Santiago Parra Boffil (1939–2025), retired professor from the same faculty, doctor in Economic Sciences trained in the German Democratic Republic and founder of the Department of Industrial Economics. The university highlighted its extensive academic career and its role in the training of several generations of economists. No cause of death was reported.
Angel Mario Trenard Sayago (1956–2025), identified as Mario Trenard in shared grief posts. His death was communicated through an institutional obituary on social networks, without additional information about his recent academic relationship or the circumstances of his death.
These four deaths are added to four others reported by the Universidad de Oriente in previous weeks, among them those of students Luis Enrique Vicet Castellanos and Beatriz Carmenaty Corona, and professors Raudel de Armas Louis and Pedro Antonio Rodríguez Fernández, which raised the concern of students, teachers and families.
So far, there is no statement from the Ministry of Higher Education (MES) or the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) on the situation. Institutional publications do not make references to causes, open investigations or health measures related to the university community.
Echoing these events, activist Lara Crofs said in a Facebook post: “From October 1 to today, eight deaths reported, at the Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba. What did they die of? Neither the University nor the Ministry of Higher Education respond. They say ‘rest in peace’ and that’s it. In the comments they ask for explanations, but they delete them. What are they hiding? (…) Meanwhile, the count goes up.”
The province of Santiago de Cuba, like almost the entire country, has been facing arbovirus outbreaks and a stressed health system for months, but until the closing of this note, an official relationship between this epidemiological context and the deaths registered at the university has not been established, nor have any explanations been given.
