The bus number 890 from Viazul that was covering the route Santiago de Cuba–Havana collided this morning with a truck from the state company EsAzúcar that was stationary due to technical issues on the Central Highway.
The accident occurred at kilometer 544, in the San Blas popular council, Florida municipality, province of Camagüey, resulting in one fatality and eight injuries.
Radio Camagüey reported that the incident occurred between 6:15 and 6:30 in the morning. The deceased victim was identified as Oney Castillo Matos, 39 years old, a mechanic of the broken-down truck that was on the road at the time of the accident.
The journalist José L. Tan Estrada indicated that thick morning fog hindered the visibility of the bus driver, preventing him from noticing the parked truck on the road in time.
The bus had left Santiago de Cuba at 10:00 p.m. on Monday and was carrying nine passengers when the collision occurred.
Of the eight injured, all are currently out of danger, according to the medical report. The patient in the most serious condition has a pelvic fracture, although there is no cranial or thoracic trauma. She has been reported as stable.
Doctor Alexander González Borges, a second-degree specialist in Intensive Care and first-degree specialist in Internal Medicine, stated that the patient is receiving joint care from the orthopedics and intensive care services, and that a CT scan is already being coordinated to determine the most appropriate management.
Following the accident, an agreement between the National Bus Company and Viazul ensured the transportation of passengers who could continue their journey to their destination.
The incident adds to a series of serious accidents in Camagüey, turning the province into a critical point of road safety issues in Cuba.
In January of this year, a bus overturned at the Ignacio Curve, kilometer 595 in the municipality of Jimaguayú, resulting in two fatalities—among them a seven-year-old child—and more than 30 injured.
In February, a bus overturned in Cascorro, Guáimaro, involving 56 people, with five seriously injured and seven pregnant women affected.
The municipality of Florida was the scene, at the end of September, of the overturning of a trailer loaded with sugar in the heart of the urban area, which brought down an electric pole but did not result in any injuries.
The Central Highway experiences a high volume of interprovincial traffic under poor maintenance conditions, and morning fog is a recurring risk factor in that area of Camagüey, especially during the early hours of the day.
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