Luis Alberto Rojas Julién, 24 years old, and Francisco González Navarro, 77, have been identified as the two fatalities from the collapse that occurred at the former Basic Secondary School in Camp number 1, known as "La Uno," in the municipality of Remedios, Villa Clara. Both were originally from Caibarién.
The official profile Soy Villa Clara reported this Thursday on Facebook that the bodies of the last two people trapped were found after more than 16 hours of search and rescue efforts.
The only survivor was identified as Jorge Luis Pardo Águila, 29 years old, who had been rescued alive from the rubble on Wednesday night.
Pardo Águila remains hospitalized in the Neurology ward of the Arnaldo Milián Castro Provincial Hospital and is out of danger, as confirmed by Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Lima Guevara, head of operations for the Fire Department in Villa Clara.
The collapse occurred on the afternoon of this Wednesday in the old ESBEC, and the initial reports indicated that three people were inside the building when the structure collapsed.
More than a hundred rescuers participated in the operation, supported by cranes, shovels, and heavy machinery to remove the debris.
A generator kept the area illuminated throughout the night, while the Integrated Medical Emergency System remained active to assist the victims.
The authorities also provided psychological support to the family members who waited for hours near the site of the collapse. The operation concluded on Thursday morning with two deceased and one person rescued alive.
The Provincial Government stated that the old school had been legally unfit for years as it did not meet the conditions to ensure the safety of individuals.
The statement, however, did not specify what the victims were doing inside or how they accessed a structure deemed unsafe, although some informal sources claimed they were searching for construction materials, such as steel beams.
Experts continue to investigate the causes of the collapse, while authorities have urged the public to avoid access to abandoned buildings or those declared unsafe due to the risk of further collapses.
Filed under: