The Havana government denies deaths of young people in tumultuous brawl at the Monkey Farm.

The Government of Havana denied on Sunday the deaths of young people during the large fight that took place Saturday evening in the vicinity of Finca de los Monos, a recreational area located in the Cerro municipality.

Hours after the news went viral on social media and in the midst of the official media's silence, the government entity decided to post a statement on its Facebook page.

In it, he dismisses as false the news related to the deaths of young people and explains that "the incident is related to an unauthorized activity, where there was a disturbance of the order during the movement to the outdoor areas of the facility."

"Unfortunately, the incident caused two injured individuals who received immediate medical attention without any danger to their lives. There are no fatalities,” the text continues, after stating that the “Government authorities and the National Revolutionary Police intervened consistently to restore order."

Likewise, the text lashes out against the media and profiles on social networks that made the event known: "Once again, the unscrupulous attitude of people and media who try to discredit our society with falsehoods is exposed."

Although the Government of Havana does not mention it, the reality is that the fight left horrifying images of armed gangs with machetes and other sharp objects, which demonstrates the high level of violence existing in a country that is experiencing the largest migratory wave in its history, and whose population resists countless power outages amidst all kinds of shortages.

On Facebook, the user identified as Edmundo Dantes Jr. provided details of the regrettable altercation: "Young people from different gangs are at Finca de los Monos, where the start of summer was being celebrated by the UJC."

According to reports, the events were due to a 'settling of scores.' I cannot show the most graphic videos. It did not end well, at least 5 did not survive, although they tell me it has reached 12, it is not confirmed and there are fake photos circulating. Many others are in critical condition. Children aged 13 to 15," added the internet user.

According to their information, in the massive brawl, several young people are said to have died. Rumors spoke of a dozen dead, plus an undetermined number of injured.

The images recorded on video and shared on social networks reveal an unusual outburst of violence, with the presence of hundreds of young people, many of them teenagers and minors.

One of the videos captured the moment when the police officers lifted a wounded young man into a patrol car to take him to the hospital. "To the Pediatric [hospital] in Centro Habana," a police officer can be heard saying, giving instructions to the police vehicle driver.

The uprising seems to have spread over time and space, as other videos showed scenes of fights at dusk and in other streets of the city. It is unknown what triggered such an outbreak of violence, although there is talk of rivalries between gangs.