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A new tragic event has shaken the Mandatory Military Service in Cuba once again. A young soldier, just 19 years old, identified as Eldis Leyva Nieves, passed away on Thursday, December 18, after sustaining serious injuries during military training at a shooting range in the province of Guantánamo.
According to information shared by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada on Facebook.
According to the information released, the incident occurred around 2:15 PM when a rocket exploded in the air during a military exercise. The explosion caused fragments of the device to strike several of the military personnel present at the scene.
Eldis, who belonged to Unit 2431 of the Border Brigade, was urgently transferred to the Dr. Agostinho Neto General Teaching Hospital in Guantánamo.
Despite receiving specialized medical attention, the young man passed away at 6:38 PM, just four hours after the accident, due to the severity of his injuries.
In the same incident, a captain of the Artillery Regiment, identified as Eduardo Maturel García, was also injured and is currently in the observation room of the hospital. According to the report, his condition is stable and he has less severe injuries.
A young man with his life ahead of him
Eldis Leyva Nieves was a native of Ocujal del Turquin, in the Guamá municipality of Santiago de Cuba. He had recently completed his Nursing studies and was serving in the military when the fatal accident occurred.
His family is profoundly affected by the loss. The young man is being honored for a few hours, but his body will be kept in the cold room, awaiting the arrival of his father, Erdys Leyva Isasc, who currently resides in Venezuela.
Eldis' family has a long history connected to public service and education. His father was the principal of the Ocujal Basic Secondary School, while his mother, Yuselis, has worked as a teacher for many years.
The young man was a twin, although it has not yet been revealed whether his brother was also a recruit or not.
Official silence and persistent risks
So far, no official information has been released regarding the technical causes that triggered the rocket explosion or any potential responsibilities related to the incident.
No statements have been issued by the military authorities or the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The death of Eldis Leyva Nieves once again brings to the forefront the risks associated with Mandatory Military Service, especially when it involves newly graduated youth whose life plans are interrupted by exercises that include the use of active weaponry.
Cases like this are repeated in a context characterized by a lack of transparency and the absence of public information regarding security conditions in military practices.
As his family and community mourn the loss of a young man who was just beginning his adult life, social unrest grows over a system that many view as coercive and lacking in guarantees, where the State avoids taking responsibility for the consequences of the deaths of young people during their military service.
The death of Eldis is part of a chain of recruit fatalities in recent years, linked to accidents, untreated illnesses, suicides, and alleged abuses in military units.
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