Two Cubans die in traffic accident in Suriname

Two Cubans lost their lives this Saturday after being struck by a vehicle in a multi-vehicle traffic accident in the city of Paramaribo, Suriname.

Cubans were riding an electric motorcycle along Ringweg-Zuid, the southern ring road of the city, on Saturday morning when they were hit by a car that had previously collided with another vehicle, according to preliminary reports published by local newspapers.

Unfortunately, the motorcycle driver, a man in his 50s, died at the scene due to his injuries, while the other person was rushed to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

CiberCuba has not yet been able to confirm the identity of the victims.

News portals from Suriname reported that the accident involved three cars in addition to the electric scooter the Cubans were traveling on.

According to reports, the driver of a Toyota Lexus overtook the vehicle in front of him, and the driver of a blue Toyota Vitz joined the maneuver and also passed. The simultaneous movements of the cars left little space between them.

Then, the driver of the Lexus veered to the left and collided with the car in front, a Mitsubishi Pajero, whose driver was forced to swerve further left and struck the motorcycle with his vehicle.

Due to the impact, the motorcycle driver lost control and crashed into a power pole, dying instantly.

Some media outlets initially reported that there was only one occupant of the motorcycle, but others confirmed that there were two individuals and that they were foreigners.

Posts from Cubans on social media confirmed the nationality of the deceased, although they did not provide further details about their identity.

They also mourned the passing of their compatriots who, like hundreds of thousands of Cubans in the past three years, left the island due to the severe economic crisis and arrived in other countries in search of better opportunities.

In a post on Facebook, Pedro García, a Cuban resident in Suriname, expressed his condolences for the death of his compatriots: “Yesterday we lost two in an accident, I am very sorry and I extend my condolences to the families.”

García urged all Cubans living in that country to drive carefully and warned that driving there is "complicated."

“If we don’t take care of ourselves, no one will take care of us,” he warned. “Please drive carefully because our lives here are worth nothing. The vast majority of us come seeking well-being and to help our families. Most of us have loved ones, and unfortunately, there’s no going back after a tragedy.”

In the early months of this year, several traffic accidents were reported in which Cubans residing in Suriname lost their lives; in all cases, they were riding motorcycles.

Emir Castro González, 43, originally from Cárdenas, Matanzas, and father of two children, passed away in February after colliding with a van in the city of Paramaribo.

Two weeks later, Gilberto José Mora Ávila, a 29-year-old from Holguín and father of a young boy, also died due to the impact of his motorcycle with a car.

In March, another tragic accident claimed the lives of the couple formed by Enrique Gousson Cabrera, 52, and Margarita Bea Martínez, 53, both from Havana.

As of this report, CiberCuba is still attempting to confirm the names of those who died in the tragic accident this past Saturday.

According to local news, the incident is still under investigation.

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