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The mother of a Cuban doctor reported that her son, doctor Alexis Bonilla Silva, is trapped along with a group of individuals in the rural community of Travesía, in the Urbano Noris municipality of Holguín province, following the passage of the devastating hurricane Melissa.
The area was completely isolated after the overflow of the Cauto River and several of its tributaries, following the passage of the cyclone early Wednesday morning.
In a message shared on social media, Nilda Silva, the doctor's mother, called for immediate assistance from the authorities to evacuate her son and 50 others who have been trapped for hours without communication or food.
“We urgently request help. We need a helicopter. The doctor, Alexis Bonilla Silva, is in Travesía. There is a group of around 50 people with both rivers overflowing. We are desperate. The rivers have already collapsed; we need a helicopter. We have been waiting for more than seven hours and still have no response,” the woman expressed.
The community of Travesía, located in the Urbano Noris municipality, is situated in a high-risk area, between San Germán and Jiguaní, on the borders of the provinces of Holguín and Granma.
After the heavy rains associated with Hurricane Melissa, the rivers surrounding the settlement overflowed and completely cut off dozens of families.
The journalist José Luis Tan Estrada shared the report on his Facebook profile, using the tag #SOS, and alerted about the inaction of the authorities in the face of a situation that threatens the lives of those trapped.
"The mother of a Cuban doctor reported that her son remains cut off from communication in the Travesía area, located between San Germán and Jiguaní, near Dos Ríos, which has been completely isolated due to the overflow of the Cauto River and several of its tributaries. The area is surrounded by water and there is no way to access it by road or communication means," published Tan Estrada.
Travesía is one of the areas hardest hit by the floods in Holguín, where Hurricane Melissa has caused massive overflow of the Cauto River and smaller tributaries that cut off all access routes.
According to local testimonies, people trapped are seeking refuge in elevated houses and rooftops, without food, electricity, or means of communication for over 24 hours.
"They are without signal, without electricity, without food, and surrounded by water on all sides," wrote another resident on social media, confirming the severity of the situation in that part of the municipality of Urbano Noris.
As of now, there is no official confirmation that an air operation to rescue the group has been initiated, although it is expected that the Holguín Provincial Defense Council or the Ministry of the Interior will intervene, given the imminent risk to the lives of the stranded individuals.
The hurricane Melissa, which made landfall early Wednesday morning along the southern coast of Santiago de Cuba as a category 3 storm, has caused flooding, power outages, and destruction in several provinces of eastern Cuba. Municipalities such as Palma Soriano, Baire, and Urbano Noris have reported landslides, isolated communities, and damage to basic infrastructure.
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