A building collapsed on Thursday night in the Jesús María neighborhood, in Old Havana, leaving one deceased so far according to official data. A team of 14ymedio He went to the place, located on Ángeles street on the corner of Máximo Gómez (Monte), where he was able to verify the high number of ambulances that were transporting the injured, as well as several trucks that, two hours after the accident, were still removing debris.
The area was cordoned off on a perimeter that extended for three blocks to the east (towards Cuatro Caminos) and two to the west (to the Capitol). A large number of military personnel, Interior Ministry cars, and Suzuki motorcycles (commonly used by State Security) surrounded the area, preventing our reporters from getting closer to the area of the collapse.
However, they were able to observe the coming and going of fire trucks, trucks with rubble collection shovels and ambulances heading to the Calixto García hospital. A neighbor spoke on the phone a few meters away: “Yes, they are taking her and it seems that she is very bad,” she commented.
14ymedio He could not verify that there were deaths, although the proportions of the collapse made one fear that the one that has been confirmed so far by the official source is not the only one. The rumors and some photos that circulate on social networks, and that it has not been possible to confirm that they correspond to this incident, give an account of this.
However, he did know that there were numerous injuries, some seriously, due to the number of ambulance transfers that were observed some time after the incident occurred.
The official press was not present at the scene when this newspaper arrived and the only information that has spread Until this time, it is a brief statement from the Government of Havana in which there is only one person transferred to a hospital and the detours in the area to favor the transit of rescue and support vehicles.
According to the note, two passers-by were trapped under the rubble of the wall that collapsed on a second floor of this building in Old Havana. At first glance, it appears to be a barbecue, as it is known to the mezzanines built inside the buildings in an inadequate way so that more people can fit.
Jesús María is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the capital. In January 2020, three girls died at about 700 meters from this point when a balcony collapsed in the same neighborhood, between Vives and Revillagigedo streets. The structure collapsed when the minors were playing when they left school and were on the sidewalk rehearsing for the acts for the birth of José Martí.
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