A section of the ceiling on the fourth floor of a building located at Águila 368, at the corner of San Miguel, in Centro Habana, collapsed this morning around 6:10, as reported by the independent newspaper 14ymedio.
The collapse did not result in any casualties, but it raised alarms among the more than 300 residents living in the building.
The collapse created a gap in the ceiling of the top floor, allowing a direct view of the sky from the inside.
Pieces of concrete, dust, and debris were piled up on the ground and next to the metal railing of the staircase, while the bare, rusted rebar of the structure was exposed alongside extensive moisture stains.
Juan Goberna, director of the Cuban Network for Persons with Disabilities and resident of the second floor, witnessed the collapse firsthand.
"I was already awake when I felt the roar and the whole building shook," he recounted to the independent media. "A neighbor started shouting and people jumped out of bed to see what was happening, but it was only when it started to get light that the seriousness of what had happened could be seen. To make matters worse, it has been raining since early today, so water has come into the opening."
The rains this morning worsened the situation by seeping through the open hole. Goberna warned that "there are neighbors who are currently outside and do not want to enter the building for fear that more fragments will fall," and specified that the most affected are those on the fourth floor, although the collapse also damaged part of the ceiling on the third floor due to the weight of the fallen debris.
The activist clarified that this is the first partial collapse of the building, although there had been minor detachments from the ceiling of the top floor.
A previous attempt to shore up the structure with wood failed due to a lack of fuel to hire the truck that would transport the beams, yet another example of how widespread shortages hinder even the most basic solutions.
"Fortunately, there were no reported loss of life or injuries," Goberna told 14ymedio, although he cautioned that the deterioration of the building and the lack of repairs keep residents under the constant threat of a total collapse.
The property, built in 1936 as a hotel and later transformed into communal housing, is part of the Colón Popular Council, one of the most densely populated areas of Central Havana.
Its Art Deco facade features casement-free windows, open niches, and areas darkened by humidity.
The collapse this Wednesday occurs ten days after a tragedy in the Diez de Octubre municipality: two elderly individuals died when the portal of their home in Lawton collapsed, at the corner of 8va and San Francisco.
In that case, the neighbors had repeatedly alerted the authorities without receiving a response.
September was especially critical for the capital. The heavy rains —with more than 300 mm recorded in 24 hours in some areas— caused at least 26 houses to completely collapse and 122 to suffer partial collapses, with 148 people accommodated in state centers and 762 self-evacuated to their relatives' homes.
The structural deterioration of Havana has deep roots: according to official data, approximately 1,000 buildings collapse each year in the capital, and by the end of 2025 there were 185,348 properties in poor condition.
The national housing deficit exceeds 929,000 homes, and the state construction plan has only achieved 22% of its goal in 2025, with just 2,382 units completed out of the 10,795 planned.
Many families remain in buildings declared uninhabitable because they have nowhere to go, and state shelters do not provide a real solution.
Related videos:
Filed under: