Carlos Rafael López passed away after suffering burns in his body and a cranial trauma, caused by the breakage of a steam pipe in the thermoelectric plant.
Madrid, Spain.- The young turbine operator Carlos Rafael López Ibarra, 33, died this Sunday, September 7 after not being able to overcome the injuries suffered in a Occupational accident at the Antonio Maceo Grajales thermoelectric plant, Known as Renté, in Santiago de Cuba.
The incident occurred last Sunday, August 31, around 9:30 at night, when a steam pipe filed failures during the start and synchronization of Unit No. 5 of the plant. The sudden escape of steam at high temperatures caused López Ibarra to suffer burns in 89% of his body, in addition to a cranial trauma after falling down a staircase in the middle of the emergency, according to thermoelectric workers.
The operator was immediately transferred to Dr. Juan Bruno Zayas General Hospital, where he remained in critical condition for more than a week.
THE STATE ELECTRICAL UNION (UNE) confirmed the death In an official message, where he expressed his “deep pain” and transmitted condolences to family and friends. “With deep pain we communicate the irreparable loss of our partner,” said the state company in a note spread on social networks.
However, workers’ testimonies denounce that maintenance in the plant are carried out “with empty hands, with nothing, absolutely nothing”, due to the lack of resources to operate safely. After the accident, companions of the young man had to collect money to buy basic supplies such as eggs, used in the treatment of burns.
According to official figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), in 2024 934 occupational accidents were registered in the country, with a balance of 52 deaths, which is equivalent to the death of a worker every week in their work center.
