One dead and two injured after an oil tanker accident in Santiago de Cuba

One person died and two others were injured this Thursday after a truck carrying oil overturned at kilometer 6 on the El Cobre road in the city of Santiago de Cuba.

According to independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta on his Facebook profile, two of the occupants of the vehicle were taken to a hospital, while a third person was trapped under the cistern and died on the spot.

At the time of writing the report, the communicator had not revealed the identity of the injured or the deceased victim.

The other side of the accident was the oil spill, which caused a crowd of people to gather at the site, many of whom began collecting the product in buckets, tanks, and any available container due to the acute shortage of oil in the country.

The scene reflected the desperation of the population for a product that has been missing from the Cuban table for months, set against a backdrop marked by a tragic event.

Mayeta emphasized that shortly after, agents from the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) arrived at the scene and began to evict the gatherers in order to proceed with securing and controlling the area.

The scene of people collecting spilled oil right at the site of a tragic accident did not go unnoticed on social media and sparked a wave of reactions, many of which were marked by indignation, grief, and social criticism.

“Someone died and people are saying they ran out of oil, the Cuban is becoming more apathetic every day,” wrote the user Lesvia Rigueira, reflecting the discomfort of many regarding what they see as a loss of collective sensitivity.

Other comments pointed to the social and political context that drives the population to act in this way. “Aside from the fact that many take advantage of tragedies to obtain what they need and what they truly lack, the most painful aspect here is the loss of that human life, but this failed government must come to an end,” stated Félix Vinent Tamayo.

Deisy Torres Sánchez lamented the lack of empathy: "We no longer have any empathy; no one feels sorrow for the human factor affected in the accident, only for the oil. As if that's nothing, we must continue with the Mipime. Recovery for the injured, EPD to the deceased, and strength to their families and friends."

"Right now I just passed by there and it’s terrible, people picking up the contaminated oil and blood, listen to me, it’s the worst," emphasized Alfredo Pérez Álvarez in a sorrowful description of the scene.

On the last Sunday, a traffic accident in Camagüey involved a health sector executive, who emerged unscathed. The incident occurred on the central highway when a state vehicle collided with an electric motorcycle, causing significant damage to both vehicles.

Likewise, this Tuesday a man lost his life in Havana following the collision between a motorcycle and a truck in the Arroyo Naranjo area. The incident occurred in the morning, and the victim was identified as a motorcyclist who was left lying on the road.

And this Thursday, another accident in the province of Holguín claimed the lives of two people and left two others injured. The collision occurred between a car and a bus, and the images from the scene illustrate the severity of the impact.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Oil Tanker Accident in Santiago de Cuba