Two members of a medical brigade in Angola hospitalized after a train and bus collision

Two Cuban collaborators who were injured last Tuesday in an accident involving a train and a bus in the province of Moxico, Angola, were airlifted to the capital city, Luanda, where they are hospitalized at the Meditex clinic under specialized care.

One of them is still reported to be in very serious condition, although stable and with vital signs within the normal range, while the second, in critical condition, shows a favorable evolution, reported this Sunday the government-affiliated Prensa Latina.

The other two collaborators involved in the accident that occurred in the city of Luena have already been discharged from the hospital.

The transfer was coordinated with the support of the National Institute of Medical Emergencies and other institutions, aiming to maintain closer monitoring of the patients' progress, who are part of the Cuban medical and teaching brigade deployed in the African country.

The accident occurred when the bus transporting the teachers from the Moxico Higher Polytechnic Institute —where they were teaching— was struck by a train at a level crossing.

Since the accident became known, the Angolan authorities and the Cuban medical brigade in the area organized the immediate transfer of the injured and other victims to the General Hospital of Moxico, and then to Luanda.

This Sunday, the Cuban ambassador to Angola, Óscar León, along with the executive president of the Antex S.A. corporation, Carlos Martínez, and the vice president for Angola, Ernesto Gutiérrez, visited the patients at the Meditex clinic, emphasized Prensa Latina.

The general director of the institution, Mario Delgado, and the medical team caring for the collaborators explained the treatment applied and the evolution of their health status.

Care has been provided by Cuban and Angolan doctors, including professionals from the provinces of Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul, as well as specialists from the Meditex clinic itself.

Last Thursday, Prensa Latina reported that one of the collaborators was listed as seriously stable, with a guarded prognosis, although showing better progress in clinical-surgical terms.

Another patient, in critical condition, showed favorable progress; a third had been discharged, and the fourth was recovering from surgery for a left humerus fracture.

The provincial delegation of the Association of Graduated Students from Schools in Cuba, known as Caimaneros, visited the hospital to express their solidarity with the victims of the accident.

During the past few years, Cuban doctors who are part of international brigades have faced increasingly critical situations that jeopardize their physical integrity and safety.

In February 2024, the extremist group Al-Shabaab reported the alleged death of Cuban doctors Landy Rodríguez and Assel Herrera, who had been kidnapped in Somalia since April 2019.

According to unconfirmed reports, both are said to have died following a drone attack in the city of Jilib. These professionals were part of a medical team deployed in Kenya and were captured while en route to a hospital in a protected convoy.

Despite the efforts of the involved governments, the attempts to rescue them were unsuccessful. This tragedy marked a critical point in the international perception of the security conditions surrounding Cuban doctors sent abroad.

In last September, it was reported that Cuban doctors deployed in El Palmito, a town in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, were withdrawn from the area by order of the Cuban embassy, due to the escalating violence related to organized crime.

The place had practically become a ghost town due to threats and the forced displacement of its residents. According to the state Health Secretary, the doctors were not prepared to face the levels of stress and insecurity in the region, and remaining there put their lives at risk.

Both events clearly reflect the inherent dangers of Cuban medical missions abroad, especially in contexts where armed conflicts, insecurity, or territorial control by irregular groups are part of the daily environment.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Accident Involving Cuban Collaborators in Angola