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Mailén Díaz Almaguer, the sole survivor of flight 972 of Cubana de Aviación that crashed on May 18, 2018, posted a message on her social media in which she reflects on the energy crisis facing Cuba and expresses her belief that the country urgently needs change.
"I know that so many days with two hours of electricity and 18 hours of blackout will not be in vain. I have sought God more in prayer and have become more aware that we need a change; and, even more, that God is at work and that something is going to happen," the young woman wrote.
Mailén has been living in Havana since the accident, in a house she purchased in the Siboney neighborhood, Playa municipality, using the compensation she received from the air disaster.
He chose that location for its proximity to the International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN), where he received treatment for an extended period due to the severe spinal cord injury he sustained in the accident.
Your message arrives at the worst energy moment of the year for Cuba.
Power outages on the island will exceed 2,000 MW this Wednesday, according to the forecast from the Electric Union, affecting 63% of the country.
According to forecasts, a maximum impact of 2,113 MW is recorded this Wednesday, a yearly record, with outages of up to 18 hours in Havana and more than twenty hours in other provinces.
The National Electric System operates with availabilities of just 1,200 to 1,430 MW against a demand of 2,750 to 3,250 MW, a structural deficit exacerbated by breakdowns in key thermoelectric plants and fuel restrictions.
In March 2026, two total power outages occurred in the system: the first lasted 29 hours and 29 minutes; the second left over 90% of Havana without electricity due to a failure at the Nuevitas Thermoelectric Power Station.
Mailén based her reflection on her Christian faith, quoting Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
The young woman, who was 19 years old when the plane crashed just 35 seconds after taking off from José Martí International Airport bound for Holguín, lost her husband Jean Michel López Salinas in the accident, with whom she had been married for only two months.
Of the 113 people on board, only she survived.
This is not the first time Mailén has raised her voice about her situation.
In June 2022, she reported the neglect of the Cuban government, stating that she lacked gloves and lubricant for her urinary catheter, as well as the antiseptic Nitrofurantoin that she requires daily.
Her husband, Mario Jesús Rodríguez Oliva, reported at that time that they have been trying for years to meet with Díaz-Canel without success, and he described the greeting cards that the leader sends to Mailén as "hypocrisy."
In April 2026, Mailén once again called for justice for the victims of the accident one month before the eighth anniversary, in the context of a court ruling in Mexico against the airline Global Air.
On May 18, eight years will have passed since the tragedy, a date that Mailén has turned into an occasion for remembrance, a call for justice, and now also a source of hope amidst the crisis that burdens all Cubans.
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