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Amid the collapse of funeral services in Cuba, a deceased person was transported in a cage truck in the municipality of San Luis, Santiago de Cuba province, due to the complete lack of available hearses.
The images of the incident show a coffin covered with black fabric placed inside a truck with metal bars, the same type of vehicle commonly used to transport animals or goods. According to independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, the deceased's family waited for hours without a hearse appearing, and ultimately decided to improvise the transportation “in the only vehicle they could obtain.”
The reporter noted that “there was not a single hearse available to transport the deceased to the cemetery” and that the province “does not have enough funeral vehicles, and the fleet designated for that service is practically overwhelmed.”
The family of the deceased, faced with institutional neglect, had to come up with a makeshift solution: first, an unsuitable truck was provided, and then they used a cage truck where they ultimately placed the coffin.
In the photos shared by Mayeta, several people can be seen accompanying the casket inside the metal vehicle, while others look on from the roadside. The scene, which took place in broad daylight on a public road, caused shock among the local residents.
"Misery doesn't end even in death."
The post generated hundreds of reactions and comments on social media, where users lamented the disgraceful treatment of the deceased and the extreme hardship faced by Cuban families.
"This is a disgrace, even the dead do not rest in peace," wrote one person; another stated: "Cuba hurts, we have no respect for the living or the dead." Dozens of comments described the situation as "a humiliation for the people," "a total lack of respect," and "the saddest demonstration of what we have come to accept."
Among the most striking messages are phrases like "nothing surprises us anymore because we are living a daily horror movie," "even the dead travel in cages, but for the leaders there are always cars available," or "one can't even die with dignity anymore."
Other users recalled similar cases experienced in their communities: “In my neighborhood, they took him on a stretcher to the clinic,” one woman recounted. “Not even the dead are respected in this country,” another wrote. Some agreed that “misery accompanies Cubans until the very last moment,” and that the country “has lost all sense of humanity.”
"This is disgusting," wrote one user. "God have mercy on us," requested another. "Even in death, our misery doesn't end," was one of the most frequently repeated messages.
A collapse that extends across the entire island
The transfer of a coffin in a cage truck adds to a series of recent complaints about the collapse of funeral services in various provinces. Days earlier, a coffin fell from a hearse in the middle of the street, leaving the body exposed in front of passersby and highlighting the extreme deterioration of the vehicles used for these services.
In Guantánamo, the image of a coffin with a broken glass sparked national outrage. Mourners reported that coffins are being reused, that they must be nailed down with tacks, and that in many cases, families have to provide their own materials to bury their loved ones.
The use of state vehicles from ETECSA as hearses and ambulances has also been documented, due to the lack of specialized transportation, with reports that in some municipalities there is only one operational vehicle for the entire city.
In Camagüey, relatives of an elderly man reported that his body remained unprepared for over ten hours in the morgue of the Amalia Simoni Hospital due to the fact that there was only one hearse available throughout the province.
"Misery accompanies Cubans until the very last moment."
Reporter Yosmany Mayeta Labrada expressed regret that "misery accompanies Cubans until the very last moment," and that what happened in San Luis symbolizes the extreme level of deterioration and helplessness that the country is experiencing: "Because when a country reaches the point where it can no longer bury its dead with dignity, it has lost all sense of humanity."
Meanwhile, the authorities continue to offer no effective solutions to a funeral system that is sinking under the weight of transportation shortages, a lack of coffins, institutional neglect, and the pain of thousands of families who, even in their final farewell, face the humiliation of hardship.
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