The collapse of an abandoned structure in San Juan de los Remedios, Villa Clara triggered a complex rescue operation on Wednesday, during which firefighters deployed drones to locate the trapped individuals among the debris.
According to Susely Morfa González, the first secretary of the Provincial Committee of the PCC in Villa Clara, it was estimated that three people were inside the building when the collapse occurred. "Firefighters, Red Cross, and SIUM are on site," she wrote on her X account.
The Provincial Fire Command used drones for the precise geolocation of the missing persons, a technique that had already been employed in Cuba following the explosion of the Saratoga Hotel in 2022 and in other similar emergencies.
The tasks were classified as "highly dangerous and complex" by the authorities, given the conditions of the collapsed building. Cranes, shovels, and heavy machinery were concentrated at the site for the debris removal, while medical teams and several ambulances waited on standby to assist the survivors as soon as they were extracted.
The unofficial identification of the property referred to it as the former ESBEC No. 1, known as "La 1," on the road to Rojas.
Unconfirmed local sources also indicated that some of the people present in the building were extracting iron and other construction materials when the collapse occurred, a common practice among Cubans in economically vulnerable situations that increases the risk of collapse in already deteriorated structures.
The collapse in Remedios adds to an alarming pattern that is repeating across the island. Just ten days earlier, two men were trapped in the collapse of a building in Colón, Matanzas, and both were rescued alive.
In Havana, approximately 1,000 buildings collapse each year, and the national housing deficit exceeds 800,000 homes, a reflection of decades of neglect and lack of maintenance under the dictatorship.
The highest authorities of the territory were present from the onset of the emergency, overseeing the actions taken. Meanwhile, the families of the trapped individuals were receiving psychological support while they awaited news on the outcome of the operation.
The information regarding the rescue was still unfolding at the time this report was published.
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