At least four young residents of the municipality of Niquero in Granma Province died in a shipwreck while attempting to leave the country illegally by sea.
In recent hours, expressions of grief have multiplied on social media due to the untimely loss of Alba Parrado Meriño, Leandro López, Adrián Matos Maceo, and a fourth young man whose only known name is "José."
"Today I want to join the deep sorrow of my town, Niquero, for the irreparable loss of these young people who, in seeking improvement for their lives and to help their families, lost their lives in the attempt," wrote the internet user Roger Aurelio Ávila in an emotional Facebook post, emphasizing that the deceased were beloved individuals in the community.
"Rest in peace. My deepest condolences to the family. May God keep them in His Glory," wrote another Cuban from Bogotá, identified on social media as "La Niña Linda de Ochún."
"How much sadness in my town. It's hard to see how every dream, hope, and life can end in just a minute. Rest in peace," wrote another internet user.
The circumstances surrounding the shipwreck in which the four young men lost their lives are not clear, although all indications suggest that it may be related to the sinking of a vessel that departed from Playa Menéndez in the municipality of Martí, Matanzas.
A single shipwreck?
Recently, the independent media outlet elToque reported that a shipwreck has allegedly resulted in the deaths of 24 Cuban migrants following a collision between a speedboat and another vessel.
That source indicated that "only one survivor was reported, the lifeguard, who is reportedly in serious condition."
In that group, there were also allegedly William Tamayo Tuñón, 41 years old; and Alejandro Peñafuerte, 17.
However, doubts remain about the exact number of those involved and whether there are any more survivors.
Other accounts suggest that there were four survivors who have already been deported to Cuba.
On the other hand, the Coast Guard confirmed to Martí Noticias that "the police are investigating the shipwreck of a vessel where immigrants were allegedly being trafficked from Cuba."
"The repatriation of four Cuban migrants to Cuba took place on Monday. There is currently no additional information to provide due to an ongoing police investigation," the entity added.
A person close to the repatriated immigrants confirmed that it is the same boat trip where Alejandro Peñafuerte and William Tamayo Tuñón are believed to have lost their lives.
"One of the boatmen has died, and the other is in critical condition in Cayo Hueso. The four survivors are at Técnico de Matanzas, a research unit of the Cuban police," said a source to the outlet, requesting anonymity for fear of government reprisals.
“They were adrift at sea for seven days. No one came to their aid, not even those in the United States who were aware of this operation. They were left to die,” the same anonymous source added.
According to that source, there were 15 people on the boat that capsized about 15 days ago in the Florida Straits. Only five survived, including one of the boatmen.
The news reporter, Niover Licea, stated that there were 24 migrants, of whom four survived and were returned to the island this week.
After being detained in Havana, they were reportedly returned to Matanzas, but they have not been able to see their family members because the case is under investigation, a version that aligns with the information provided by Martí Noticias.
As of the publication of this note, many questions remain about whether this is a single shipwreck or not, as well as the exact number of Cubans who have died.
Unfortunately, the Cuban government has not officially commented on the situation.
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