Eriangel Torres Gutiérrez, the 23-year-old Cuban who was seriously injured in a house explosion in Monterrey, passed away this Sunday around four in the afternoon.
The news was confirmed on social media by his cousin Milagro Gutiérrez Millán, who expressed the profound sorrow of a family that had to face the tragedy from Cuba, thousands of kilometers away.
“My cousin passed away, full of life, just a child at 23 years old. An immeasurable pain has been left in our hearts,” he wrote in a comment on a post by CiberCuba on Facebook.
The post prompted numerous expressions of sorrow among friends, colleagues, and acquaintances of the young man both in Mexico and Cuba.
The tragedy began on the morning of Thursday, August 6, when a powerful explosion destroyed a large part of the second floor of a house located on Macario Pérez Street, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood, south of Monterrey.
In that place, Eriangel —whom his close friends called Erick— had been renting a room for about a year.
The initial hypothesis from Civil Protection in Monterrey indicated a possible accumulation of gas, although authorities continued to investigate the exact causes of the incident.
Residents of the area stated that about six months prior, they had reported a gas leak in front of the residence and indicated that the repair made at that time was likely temporary. However, that account has not been officially established as the cause of the explosion.
After the explosion, Eriangel managed to descend the stairs despite the severe injuries he had sustained. Neighbors saw him come out with extensive burns while he cried out for help.
In less than ten minutes, personnel from Civil Protection, firefighters from Nuevo León, and paramedics from the Medical Emergency Regulatory Center arrived at the scene, who then rushed him to the University Hospital of Monterrey.
The young man sustained second and third-degree burns on his face, chest, abdomen, arms, legs, and genitals, with injuries affecting virtually the entire surface of his body. His condition remained critical until he ultimately passed away three days after the explosion.
Eriangel worked at Reymar Moto Parts, a company specializing in motorcycle parts located in the same neighborhood. From there, his colleagues closely followed his progress and, just hours after the accident, they requested support for the young man.
The company also warned at that time about possible unauthorized requests for money. "So far, no money is being requested, don't fall for it," they cautioned.
But one of the most painful aspects of Eriangel's story was the distance that separated him from his loved ones.
The young Cuban had no relatives in Mexico. His mother, grandmother, and brother remained in Cuba, so during his last days, it was his coworkers, friends, and neighbors who looked after him and supported his struggle to survive.
After learning of his death, Fersita Garza, Reymar Moto Partes' colleague, remembered the young man for the joy he brought to those around him.
"One of the best people I could have ever met. Eri was always a very cheerful person, and I know she is now resting in peace," he wrote.
Another message, posted by Jhonari Lugo, who had taken him in at his home, articulated the migratory drama behind the tragedy: that of a young man who had left Cuba in hopes of building a better life away from the island.
"The boy who died for leaving Cuba, for seeing the look of surprise on your face when you find something at an Aurrerá, for having the hope of moving forward," he expressed.
Her death once again highlights the vulnerability faced by numerous Cuban emigrants who start from scratch in other countries, often far from their families and relying on the networks of solidarity they manage to build along the way.
In recent years, Mexico has been the backdrop for other tragedies involving Cuban migrants, some of whom have lost their lives during their journey to the United States, while others have died after settling in the country in search of opportunities they could not find in Cuba.
On Sunday, Reymar Moto Partes published a mourning image to bid farewell to Eriangel and publicly confirm his passing.
For those who shared time with him in Monterrey, the memory remains of a cheerful and hardworking young man who had left his family behind in hopes of making a better life for himself.
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