Baby from Cuban family dies in accident on road in Brazil

A head-on collision between two cars, which occurred early Tuesday morning on a federal highway in Brazil, claimed the lives of five people, including a baby just four months old, the child of a Cuban couple, and two women also originally from Cuba.

The serious traffic accident occurred around 1:50 a.m. at kilometer 93 of the BR-210 highway, near the municipality of Porto Grande in the state of Amapá, and resulted in the deaths of three adults, a six-year-old child, and a baby, and injured four other people, including the infant's parents, reported Diário do Amapá.

The two vehicles involved in the tragic event collided head-on. According to the preliminary report from the Federal Highway Police (PRF), the driver of a red Volkswagen Up, who was traveling from Macapá toward the interior of the state, invaded the opposite lane and violently collided with a gray Nissan Versa traveling in the opposite direction.

Fire Department personnel rescued the injured. Three of them were taken to the Regional Hospital of Porto Grande and another to the Emergency Hospital of Macapá for medical attention, reported a local news portal.

The PRF stated that, out of the six people traveling in the Nissan, the following died at the scene of the accident: four-month-old Aldo Milán Aldana Rodríguez; Hilda Menéndez Valdés, 62 years old; her daughter Yohany Rico Menéndez; and the driver of the vehicle Messias Ramos Teixeira.

Additionally, the baby's parents suffered injuries: Suzana de la Caridad Scull Marcel and Vladimir Aldana Rodríguez, both 31 years old, who were admitted to the Porto Grande hospital.

The occupants of the red VW were a couple of health agents and their son, all Brazilians. At the site of the incident, the six-year-old boy died, whose name has not been released, and his parents Raylane de Assunção Caetano, 23, was hospitalized in Porto Grande, while Luiz Fernando de Oliveira de Lima, also 23, was taken to Macapá with a femur fracture and thoracic trauma. The young man was to undergo surgery, according to a statement from the medical center.

The three patients admitted to the Regional Hospital of Porto Grande were stable; however, the health condition of the Cuban Scull Marcel was more serious, and she was going to be transferred to the hospital in Macapá. No further updated information is available regarding the progress of the injured.

Although the authorities have not disclosed the nationality of all the victims, CiberCuba confirmed that the deceased mother and daughter are Cuban.

The harrowing photographs published by the Highway Police show the state of destruction in which both cars were left. The engine of one of them was ejected due to the force of the impact, and the other ended up overturned in a wooded area.

According to the police report cited by the Brazilian press, the collision of the vehicles occurred near the edge of the road, on a straight stretch, suggesting that the driver of the Nissan attempted to swerve upon seeing the other car approaching in the opposite direction. Authorities believe it is likely that the driver of the VW either fell asleep or made a reckless overtaking maneuver.

The Military Fire Department of Amapá (CBM) informed G1, a news portal of the Globo network, that the people in the red vehicle were wearing seat belts and the child was in a safety seat; however, it was not possible to verify the gray car due to its state of destruction after overturning. Nevertheless, the report states that one of the passengers of the Nissan was ejected from the car, indicating the absence of a seat belt.

A spokesperson for the PRF stated that the accident was "very chaotic" and forced the closure of traffic on the highway until around 8:00 a.m. The investigation to determine the cause of the incident is still ongoing.

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