The search for Alexander Pantoja Bertot, an employee of the Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba who has been missing since Thursday while performing work duties, continues this Sunday with a wide-ranging effort that includes drones, canine teams, rescuers, police, and electric sector workers.
Aris Arias Batalla, provincial chief of Operations and Relief for the Red Cross in Santiago de Cuba, reported this Saturday in a Facebook post that new actions had been coordinated to enhance aerial and ground search efforts starting this Sunday, September 13.
According to the explanation, provincial authorities and representatives from GEOCUBA, ETECSA, and the Cuban Red Cross participated in the planning, with the goal of resuming aerial searches using drones and maintaining ground tracking.
On Saturday, teams of electrical workers from Palma Soriano, Contramaestre, and Tercer Frente participated, alongside forces from the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), rescue and salvage teams, a canine unit, and local farmers.
These forces were joined by 50 electrical workers from the municipality of Santiago de Cuba and a canine brigade from Mella to strengthen the efforts.
"We continue searching. We do not lose hope," said Arias Batalla, who reiterated the call to inform the authorities or relatives of any information that may help locate the worker.
Alexander disappeared last Thursday while conducting a work route and inspecting the power line that supplies the Gota Blanca reservoir, in a rural area located between the municipalities of Palma Soriano and Contramaestre.
"From the Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba, we express our deep concern for the family of our colleague Alexander Pantoja Bertot, an electrical worker who has been missing since yesterday while performing his job duties," stated the official publication.
Yaima Bertot, Alexander's sister, also turned to social media to ask for help and to express her gratitude for the collective effort: “Thank you so much to all those people who are putting in all their effort and energy into finding my brother. We sincerely hope that you don’t lose that positive energy and that God grants you strength and clarity to locate my brother. We are all waiting for him to come home.”
Since then on Thursday, the operation has been expanding with electrical workers, police forces, rescuers, and trained dogs, while family members and colleagues hold on to the hope of finding him safe and sound.
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