Images shared on social media show the alarming deterioration of the Camagüey Cemetery: coffins placed in the hallways, open vaults, and human remains exposed. The photographs and videos, shared by numerous users, sparked strong outrage among Cubans both inside and outside the country.
“More than 20 coffins remain in the hallways of the cemetery because there is no space to bury the deceased,” said independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada, while sharing an image that showed the current state of the cemetery.
In a subsequent video, a woman filming from inside the cemetery recounts, torn between despair and disbelief: “Look, there’s no space to lay the dead to rest… they’ve sealed off the aisles because there’s nowhere to bury the people… you can see the worms, look at the remains, the dead are rotting there, without a coffin or anything.” A man accompanying her adds: “It’s a disgrace what’s happening in this country… four bodies in every hole.”
The images depict hallways blocked by coffins and unsealed vaults. In the comments on Tan Estrada's posts, many users expressed their dismay at the institutional neglect. Some wrote that "if there is no respect for the living, there will be even less for the dead," while others stated that "no leader will be buried like this," and some remarked that "even dying in Cuba is a struggle." Several agreed in describing the situation as a "lack of humanity" and a "national shame."
There were also messages expressing concern about the health risk. One user warned that "when those bodies start to release gases, it will be a public health bomb," while another called for "an epidemiological emergency to be declared." Some pointed to the breakdown of the provincial crematorium as one of the causes of the collapse: "The failures of the crematorium have led to this chaos. Many families are requesting cremation for their deceased and there is no response," noted a commentator.
The images subsequently shared on the Facebook page of CiberCuba Noticias generated similar reactions. Numerous readers expressed their dismay at what they described as “a lack of respect for the deceased” and “an unprecedented moral degradation.” “A people must respect their dead. The cemetery is a sacred place where our loved ones rest,” wrote one internet user. Others lamented the visible deterioration of the site, recalling that “Camagüey always had a clean and well-maintained cemetery, and seeing it this way hurts.” Messages of hopelessness were also repeated: “There is no respect or dignity, the dead are left exposed,” “This is already out of control,” or “Not even the dead can rest in peace.”
A persistent problem
The deterioration of the Camagüey Cemetery is not new. Last August, a woman reported the theft of her father's tombstone, highlighting the lack of security and the neglect of the graveyard. Since then, neighbors and family members have reported the presence of weeds, destroyed vaults, and human remains in plain sight. Many claim that the situation is worsening due to the lack of maintenance, materials, and staff, while local authorities remain silent.
Context of health and funeral crisis
The collapse of the cemetery is framed within a national health and funeral crisis that deepens while official discourse insists that “everything is under control.” Cuban doctor Alexander Figueredo Izaguirre released a video this week showing trucks transporting bodies from hospitals due to a lack of hearse vehicles. According to his report, hospitals are overwhelmed by “a brutal epidemic resurgence” of dengue, chikungunya, Oropouche, and influenza, in a system devoid of oxygen, medications, and with insufficient medical staff.
In that same context, the death of eight individuals linked to the University of Oriente, in Santiago de Cuba, has caused alarm and institutional silence. The fatalities, which occurred over a span of just over a month, add to reports of an increase in cases of fever and the deteriorating sanitary conditions in educational institutions and hospitals in the eastern part of the country.
"Neither the living nor the dead have peace."
While there is no official response, images from the Camagüey Cemetery continue to circulate on social media as symbols of institutional neglect and the health crisis that affects even the final resting place. In the words of a user who summarized the general sentiment: "Neither the living nor the dead have peace in this country."
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