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Several people were injured in a traffic accident that occurred on the morning of this Tuesday at the intersection of Paseo and 23, in Vedado, Havana, where a Gacela taxi carrying 12 passengers was struck by a fire truck, according to preliminary reports.
So far, there are no reports of fatalities or serious injuries, only moderate ones, reported the official site Cubadebate, which confirmed 17 injured in the accident, including a minor.
The news outlet specified that the injured individuals were taken to the General University Hospital Calixto García and the "Joaquín Albarrán" (Clinic of 26), while the minor was taken to the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital.
The causes of the accident have not been confirmed by the authorities.
According to eyewitnesses, the truck was descending Paseo Avenue, requesting to pass, on its way to extinguish a fire, and collided with the public transportation vehicle as it was crossing at the traffic light.
Cubadebate stated that "the incident occurred when the minibus violated the right of way of the truck, which led to the collision."
The initial information about the event, posted on Facebook by journalist Nelson Ricardo Sierra, highlighted the swift response of the emergency teams, who arrived at the scene minutes after the crash.
The images show the Gacela taxi from route 49 (Coppelia-Hosp. Juan M. Márquez) overturned on its side, with visible structural damage. The injured passengers are being assisted by rescue personnel and loaded into ambulances to be transferred to nearby hospitals.
The tanker truck, belonging to Command 9 of the Cuban Fire Department, sustained significant damage to the hood and the bumper, as seen in the images.
Gacela taxis are Russian-manufactured minibuses from the GAZelle brand, operating as collective transport on fixed routes in Havana under the company Metrotaxis, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Transport.
These vehicles can accommodate up to 12 passengers and have a high center of gravity, which makes them structurally prone to rollovers in collisions, resulting in multiple accidents in the capital.
The road safety issues in Cuba are an increasing concern: in 2025, there were 7,538 recorded accidents with 750 fatalities and 6,718 injuries, figures that represented a 18.5% increase in deaths compared to 2024, according to official data from the National Road Safety Commission.
The human factor —disregarding right-of-way, lack of attention, and speeding— caused 92% of the accidents recorded that year, and Havana is among the provinces with the highest incidence of accidents.
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