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 via a text message, in which he stated that he was not in a condition to talk.
Leobel Ricardo Oviedo, a resident of Cancún for almost a year, received the worst news possible just one day after expressing relief upon learning that the vessel had been located in the waters off 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 held under Mexican custody: "The children were not there. He found his wife, and she confirmed that the two little ones had died during the journey, apparently from dehydration."
Hours later, Oviedo himself confirmed the death 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 communication with his wife and children.
As the father had explained on Friday, the conditions of the journey were extreme: the vessel carried little food and barely two boxes of small bottles of water to face the entire crossing.
"That day I lost communication and couldn't talk to them anymore," Oviedo recounted, referring to August 11, and described the waiting days as agony: "I felt terrible, didn't know what to do, desperate, because despair is the worst feeling."
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 for us to be given an opportunity in this country, to be able to reunite with my family so I can continue fighting, to move forward. That is 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 there."
The case adds to a series of tragedies on the Cuba-Mexico migration route. In August 2026, the death of two young Cubans drowned in the waters of Pinar del Río was also reported after another boat capsized in Sandino on August 14. According to documented data, at least 98 Cuban migrants were recorded as dead and 340 missing in similar journeys between 2021 and 2023.
The exact circumstances in which Leosdel and Leosniel died remain pending official clarification by the Mexican authorities.
Related videos:
Filed under: