A woman died due to injuries sustained by the fall of the false ceiling in a soup kitchen in Old Havana last Tuesday. The woman was an employee of the Family Care System (SAF) at the premises on the corner of Monserrate and Lamparilla, and she also lived in the vicinity of the place.
“It was more or less 4:30 in the afternoon when part of the false ceiling collapsed,” details another worker from the Gastronomy Company that manages the dining room. “She was an elderly person and she was inside sweeping when part of the roof collapsed. She died instantly, nothing could be done because the pieces that fell were very large.”
The premises, located on the ground floor, previously housed the Bar Franco, but was recently converted into a dining room for the elderly, people with disabilities and other social cases. “This SAF was previously located in Teniente Rey and Cuba, but that place is now a shelter for families affected by the collapse of their homes,” the employee clarifies.
“Since the transfer was made, it was evident that this facility was badly damaged by leaks in the roof falling from the residential building above it. Several employees complained about it, but nothing was done,” he says. “His body was completely buried under the rubble.”
“All the buildings on this block are in very bad shape, and when heavy trucks pass by, everything shakes. It’s very scary,” the woman explains. “If it had been lunchtime and that would have been full of old people the tragedy would have been greater, is what all the neighbors are commenting”.
In a video broadcast through the social network Facebook, numerous people can be seen leaning out of the windows of the dining room last Tuesday after the collapse and a fire engine vehicle arriving at the scene. La Esquina, a very busy place, is near a Cuban peso store that continually has long lines.
In Cuba there are 76,175 people registered in the Family Attention System that provides them with a daily lunch and dinner. Lack of variety, low quality of food and the rise in prices after the entry into force of the Ordering Task are a constant target of criticism and complaints.
Users of this service are mostly retirees who lament that spices, oil and animal protein are often lacking in food preparation. The 445 kitchens of this type that exist throughout the country also receive people with disabilities and other social problems every day.
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