The Cuban twins Leosdel and Leosniel, just two years old, died during the maritime journey they undertook with their mother from Cuba to Mexico, as confirmed by their father to Martí Noticias this Saturday through a text message, in which he indicated that he was not in a condition to speak.
Leobel Ricardo Oviedo, a resident of Cancún for almost a year, received the worst possible news just a day after expressing relief upon learning that the vessel had been found in the waters of Yucatán.
The first to reveal the tragic outcome was Adacheli Sosa, the father’s cousin, who explained what happened when Oviedo arrived at the location where the migrants were being held under Mexican custody: “The children were not there. He met with his wife, and she confirmed to him that the two little ones had died during the journey, apparently from dehydration.”
Hours later, Oviedo himself confirmed the passing and specified that his wife, Yusimy Garrobo Leiva, 35 years old, is by his side.
Mexican authorities have not publicly disclosed the circumstances or the cause of the deaths, so the account of dehydration comes solely from the relatives.
The vessel departed from Pinar del Río on August 11 with 19 people on board —12 adults and seven minors—, and that same day, Oviedo lost contact with his wife and children.
As the father had explained on Friday, the conditions of the journey were extreme: the vessel had very little food and barely two boxes of small water bottles to face the entire crossing.
"That day I lost communication and could no longer speak with them," Oviedo recounted, referring to August 11, and described the waiting days as an agony: "I felt bad, didn't know what to do, desperate, because desperation is the worst."
The Mexican Navy located the vessel in waters near Chicxulub Puerto, Yucatán, within the jurisdiction of the Ninth Naval Zone, around August 20, and its occupants were taken into custody by Mexican authorities.
On Friday, upon receiving the news of the rescue and before learning of his children's passing, Oviedo had asked the Mexican authorities: "I would like to be given a chance in this country, to be able to reunite with my family so I can continue fighting, to move forward. It's all I ask."
The twins and their mother lived in Vertientes, Camagüey, and the purpose of the trip was to reunite the family in Mexico.
Oviedo was clear in explaining the reasons that led his wife to undertake the dangerous journey with two two-year-old children: "Everything is bad in Cuba, they never let you live in Cuba, you can't live."
The case adds to a series of tragedies on the Cuba-Mexico migration route. In August 2026, the drowning of two young Cubans was also reported in the waters of Pinar del Río following the shipwreck of another vessel in Sandino on August 14. According to documented data, between 2021 and 2023, at least 98 Cuban migrants were reported dead and 340 went missing on similar journeys.
The exact circumstances in which Leosdel and Leosniel died remain pending official clarification from the Mexican authorities.
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