Havana/A serious traffic accident that occurred this Thursday on the national highway, near the Zaza bridge, in Sancti Spíritus, left at least four people dead and 17 injured, two of them in critical condition. The accident involved a Diana bus that was covering the route between Havana and the east of the country.
It happened around 11:36 p.m. According to official versions published by the provincial media Escambraythe driver lost control for reasons that “are being investigated,” a common formula that rarely translates into verifiable information for citizens.
The authorities identified to the four fatal victims of the accident such as Edilberto Aldana García, 23 years old, resident in Vertientes, Camagüey; Conrado Peña López, 58 years old, native of Santiago de Cuba; Niurka de la Caridad Argelí Ladisté, 56 years old, also from that province, and Ualter Chávez Galán, 30 years old, resident of the Cauto municipality, in Granma.
As for the injured, two remain admitted in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit. One of them underwent surgery after suffering a severe head injury with a frontal fracture, while the other had a right hemothorax and a liver laceration. The rest of the injured show a favorable evolution, although they continue under hospital observation. Among them is a five-year-old boy, who does not have serious injuries and was transferred to the provincial pediatric hospital for specialized follow-up.
The most recent figures on road accidents confirm a worrying increase
The accident occurs in the midst of a context of practically deserted streets, with much of the transportation paralyzed. The measures taken by the Governmentin response to the loss of their main benefactor, Venezuela, and the impact of US President Donald Trump’s executive order on oil shipments to Cuba, have reduced mobility to historic lows.
The latest figures on road accidents confirm a worrying increase. In 2025, Cuba recorded 7,538 traffic accidents and 750 deaths, which represents an 18.2% increase in deaths compared to 2024, when 634 deaths were reported. The number of injuries also increased slightly, from 6,613 to 6,718, according to data from the National Road Safety Commission.
But the most revealing data – and also most silenced by the official discourse – is that 31% of the drivers involved in accidents did not have a driving license. The figure exposes a structural failure in the road control and training mechanisms that, far from being corrected, is worsened amid institutional deterioration and permanent improvisation.
These vehicles operate for long hours, with minimal technical inspections and under the pressure of completing increasingly unviable itineraries.
Even more worrying is that, within this group of licenses withdrawn for driving under the influence of alcohol, 98% corresponded to state drivers. That is, drivers of vehicles belonging to public institutions are overrepresented in these accidents, an element that rarely appears clearly in official reports or in subsequent analyses.
The Diana buses, assembled on the Island from Chinese components, have been repeatedly pointed out by passengers and drivers for technical problems, poor maintenance and overexploitation on long-distance routes. In a country where traveling between provinces has become an odyssey, these vehicles operate for long days, with minimal technical inspections and under the pressure of completing increasingly unviable itineraries.
Added to this is the deterioration of the national highway, with poor lighting, almost non-existent signage and asphalt damaged by years of abandonment. It is no coincidence that many of the most serious accidents occur at night, when visibility is minimal and drivers’ fatigue is combined with poor road conditions.
