The Cuban volleyball player Luis Elián Estrada Mazorra managed to leave Iran and enter Turkey after being stranded for hours at the border amid the armed conflict in that country and publicly asking for help through social media.
The information was reported by the independent outlet elTOQUE and by the sports page CubanSp1ke, which followed the athlete's journey as he attempted to leave Iranian territory amidst the crisis.
Estrada, 25 years old, had traveled to the city of Yazd with the intention of joining the Shahdab Yazd club, a team where Cubans Robertlandy Simón and Javier Concepción had previously played.
However, administrative problems prevented the agreement from being finalized before the armed conflict between the United States and Iran broke out.
Following the indefinite suspension of the Iranian volleyball championship and the disruption of services such as the Internet, the player decided to leave the country by road and head towards Turkey, intending to then travel to Alicante, Spain, where he has residency.
The athlete himself recounted in his Instagram stories that he had to travel more than 12 hours by car to reach the border, on a journey marked by uncertainty and the deteriorating security conditions in the country.
After traveling more than 1,500 kilometers, Estrada reached the border crossing at Kapıköy in Turkey's Van province, but he became trapped in the border zone because he did not have a visa to enter Turkey and could not return to Iran after having stamped his departure from the country.
In videos shared on social media, the volleyball player requested urgent help.
"I'm at the border between Iran and Turkey. I need help if anyone knows someone at the Cuban Consulate in Turkey or Iran," he expressed in one of the messages.
The athlete further explained that he had not slept for over 24 hours after a long road trip and that he was still waiting for a solution while the temperatures in the area dropped below freezing.
The situation began to resolve itself after their messages were widely shared on social media. As they later recounted, the case reached the Cuban Consulate in Turkey, which intervened to facilitate their entry into the country.
In a later update on Instagram, Estrada thanked for the assistance received.
"Thanks to everyone, especially the Turkish Police and all those who made it possible for the video to reach the consul," he wrote.
The athlete also thanked his wife for helping to establish contact with the consular authorities. After crossing the border, the volleyball player will be able to continue his journey to Spain, where he resides.
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