Karen Rodríguez Dueñas, aunt of the five-month-old baby who died on Monday during the flooding in the Cerro municipality, Havana, has provided a heartbreaking account of what happened.
“We were all inside the houses, with the kids. It was impressive, just seconds, there was no time for anything. The wall that divided the houses from a workshop collapsed and came down, and the water flowed into all the houses,” he stated in remarks to Mario J. Pentón for Martí Noticias.
"I had time to get my baby out, but my sister-in-law didn’t have time to save 'my little one' who was five months old, which was the age of my nephew," she added, visibly emotional.
Finally, Karen detailed: "When the rescuers arrived, they managed to get him out from behind the door, which is where the child was because we couldn't find him anywhere.”
The minor, identified as Neimar Francisco Valdés Pérez, was swept away by the water current following the collapse of the wall.
Karen Rodríguez's testimony confirms the details previously shared on social media by a neighbor, who stated that the force of the water also swept away the mother, who took a few seconds to recover and realize that the child was no longer there.
The rescuers found him alive and performed resuscitation maneuvers, but he passed away in the hospital.
One of the firefighters who participated in the rescue, Enmanuel Díaz Rodríguez, posted on Facebook: “Fly high, little one. We brought you out alive, but you couldn’t survive. You have no idea how we, the firefighters who rescued you, feel.”
The body was laid to rest at the funeral home La Nacional, from where the funeral procession departed at 8:20 AM on Tuesday, according to the newspaper 14ymedio.
In Havana, heavy rains often cause flash floods, especially in low-lying areas with drainage systems clogged by trash.
The collapse of walls and other weakened structures is a constant risk, despite residents' complaints about leaks, cracks, and the danger of collapse.
The images captured at dawn on Tuesday showed streets covered with destroyed furniture, collapsed walls, and debris swept away by the current. According to local reports, the rains and floods that occurred between Monday and Tuesday caused at least two more collapses that left several injured.
As of the time of this report, the death of the five-month-old baby in the Cerro municipality had not been confirmed by official press sources.
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