The images speak for themselves. An overturned bus, people trapped under the vehicle and passengers in shock. These are the details shown by some of the videos that have been broadcast through social networks, this Saturday, from the scene of the accident of a bus that was traveling from Batabanó, in the province of Mayabeque, to Havana. According to preliminary reports, the accident left at least four dead and 30 injured among the 42 passengers traveling on board the vehicle.
“These are those who traveled from the Isla de la Juventud on the catamaran,” adds official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso on his Facebook account. The Ministry of Public Health confirmed to the reporter that “the wounded are treated at the Miguel Enríquez, Calixto García, and Juan Manuel Márquez pediatric hospitals.”
The images show a bus, of the Yutong brand, fallen in an area of tall grass and a crane trying to lift the vehicle. A group of people around contribute to the rescue, others scream to try to locate a family member trapped in the structure, and others report the scene.
The route between the Cuban capital and the Isla de la Juventud, or Isle of Pines, is currently carried out with a mixture of means of transport, partly by bus and partly by boat. The direct connection by air has practically disappeared due to the crisis in which the state airline Cubana de Aviación finds itself.
A group of people around contribute to the rescue, others shout to try to locate a family member trapped in the structure and others report the scene.
In the middle of last year, Cubans received with relief the news of the arrival of the Perseverancia, a modern ferry announced to great fanfare by the government that would cover the journey between Batabanó and Nueva Gerona in five hours and on which twice as many passengers could fit. cargo than traditional catamarans.
But the reactivation of the maritime route raised other questions, especially those related to the transfer to or from the port of Batabanó, an area on the south coast of the Island that is reached by badly damaged roads and that has not been benefited for decades. with a major repair.
The concern of clients is not unjustified, since between January and April of this year more than 3,000 traffic accidents that caused the death of 243 Cubans and left 2,300 injured, as confirmed by the National Road Safety Commission.
According to data released by the Cuban News Agency (ACN)Sunday is the deadliest day of the week in terms of deaths from accidents, followed by Thursday and Friday, while from noon to 6:00 p.m. it is the time most prone to the occurrence of these accidents.
On average, two Cubans died every day and 19 were injured in a traffic accident in the first four months of 2023.
Between January and April of this year, more than 3,000 traffic accidents were registered in Cuba that caused the death of 243 Cubans and left 2,300 injured.
These figures are given in the midst of a severe fuel crisis that has paralyzed a large part of public and private transport. The plummeting supply of hydrocarbons has significantly reduced the circulation of vehicles on the streets and highways of the Island and forced drivers to spend long hours, or days, in lines at gas stations.
Accidents due to the terrible conditions of the streets, with potholes or cracks, are becoming more frequent, but the road authorities assure that this cause affects only 7.2% of the accidents reported in the first four months of the year and “they did not constitute their origin”, justified the ACN in its note. 92.8% of the events occurred due to the collision of moving vehicles, he alleged.
The authorities attribute the main causes of the accidents to the invasion of the opposite lane and the lack of attention in driving. Mechanical damage, speeding and driving the vehicle under the influence of alcoholic beverages are also added.
The Commission held drivers and bystanders responsible for “being the authors” of 89% of the accidents and 94% of the deaths. The ages of the fatalities range from 31 to 55 years, and the majority of cases correspond to the provinces of Cienfuegos, Havana, Holguín and Matanzas.
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