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The roof of the old café El Confite, located at the intersection of Martí and Gonzalo de Quesada streets in the municipality of Colón, Matanzas, suffered a partial collapse on Saturday afternoon, according to the official note from the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center (CGRRD) of the municipality.
The head of the CGRRD Colón, Raisdel Naya, attributed the collapse to the "high deterioration of the building, combined with the rainfall in recent days" and confirmed that at the close of the report, no human injuries had been recorded.
The area was cordoned off by the CGRRD, the Red Cross, and the Government Command Post to prevent accidents among the population.
The most serious aspect of the case is that the danger posed by this property had been documented for years and local authorities did not take action.
Naya pointed out in her note that the vulnerabilities of the building had been listed in the Disaster Risk Reduction Plan of the municipality since 2021, and that both the Municipal Directorate of Labor and Urban Planning (DMTO) and the community architect had issued requirements and assessments regarding the danger of the building in 2023, without any actions being taken.
"We once again request that the local authorities carry out the restoration or total demolition of the premises to prevent accidents," wrote Naya, highlighting that this is not the first warning that has been ignored.
This is not the first collapse in the same building: on June 22, 2024, the roof of El Confite had already collapsed without any casualties, and at that time Radio Llanura de Colón reported that the facility "had been out of service for some time due to its structural condition, which may have worsened due to the humidity from the rains."
The pattern repeats throughout the province: just this month, a warehouse in Cárdenas collapsed without injuries due to advanced deterioration and rain, and in October 2024, the roof of the Museum of Art in Matanzas collapsed following prior warnings about its condition.
The case of El Confite reflects an institutional dysfunction that permeates all of Cuba: documented technical warnings, inaction from authorities, and collapses that become inevitable.
The structural housing crisis that the island is experiencing worsens the situation: cement production operated at 10% of its installed capacity in 2024, and the housing deficit exceeded 805,000 units in January 2025, with projections expected to reach 929,000 by the end of 2026.
The CGRRD advised the public to "stay away from the danger zone" while the building remains neither restored nor demolished, five years after its risks were officially documented.
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