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A partial collapse that occurred on Tuesday night at a restaurant in the Memories Trinidad del Mar hotel in Sancti Spíritus resulted in minor injuries to four people —three foreign tourists and one Cuban—, according to official sources.
Luis Ernesto Camellón Curbelo, deputy delegate of the Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) in the province, reported that, around 8 PM, a section of the ceiling of the buffet restaurant —made of drywall— collapsed suddenly due to a structural failure.
“We experienced a partial collapse of the roof of the buffet restaurant, which affected the service and caused some material damage. Customers were present in the area and, although there were some injured individuals, all were attended to immediately,” the official stated to Radio Sancti Spíritus.
Three foreign tourists and one Cuban were struck by debris from the false ceiling when it collapsed, which caused them minor injuries. Authorities have not disclosed the identities of the injured nor the nationalities of the foreigners.
Camellón stated that those injured received assistance at the hotel itself and it was not necessary to transfer them to a healthcare facility. "They were treated and are doing fine. They are staying at the hotel and expressed satisfaction with the care provided," he assured.
The official indicated that the matter is under investigation. Radio Sancti Spíritus mentioned that, after the incident occurred, technicians and specialists from the tourist facility conducted a "preliminary assessment of the causes," about which no details were provided.
"The investigation is ongoing while the workforce responsible for the repairs is already being hired," the report specified.
The hotel “did not interrupt its operations” following the collapse: immediately, dining services for guests resumed in other areas that were made available, “without affecting their comfort or the quality of service,” emphasized the executive from Mintur.
At the buffet restaurant, maintenance work is being carried out to restore the damaged area "as quickly as possible and return it to its normal operation," according to the source.
The hotel management stated that it "continues to operate normally while technical actions and corresponding evaluations are ongoing."
The news of the restaurant's roof collapse spread on social media shortly after the incident. The Facebook page La Tijera reported that, according to preliminary reports, "more than 100 tourists —including several Canadians— and numerous Cubans, along with about 20 employees, were inside the hall when the structure gave way."
The Memories Trinidad del Mar, inaugurated in November 2018, is a four-star all-inclusive resort with 241 rooms, located on the Ancón Peninsula in the municipality of Trinidad. It is owned by the Cubanacán hotel group and managed by the Canadian company Royalton Hotels & Resorts Ltd. (formerly Blue Diamond Resorts).
Incidents like the one that occurred at Memories Trinidad del Mar, in addition to , highlight the infrastructure problems that plague the tourism sector, which is facing its worst crisis in decades, with a steep decline in the number of visitors and a high hotel vacancy rate.
From January to September 2025, a 20.5% contraction in the number of foreign tourists was reported compared to the same period in 2024. The National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) recorded the arrival of 1,366,720 international travelers, 352,289 fewer than the previous year.
Tourism, which is still regarded by the Cuban government as one of the main sources of foreign currency revenue, is far from meeting the official objectives, which projected 2.6 million visitors for this year.
Prolonged blackouts, shortages of basic supplies, the precariousness of the infrastructure, and issues with air connectivity are some of the obstacles that discourage tourists from coming to the island.
Gypsum board, plasterboard, or drywall, also known by the commercial names Pladur, Durlock, Gyplac, Tablaroca, volcanita, or drywall, is a construction material used for building interior walls, ceiling coverings, and for reducing height through dropped ceilings (Online Interactive Encyclopedia Wikipedia).
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