The heavy rains that fell early Sunday morning in Matanzas caused a landslide that destroyed the sidewalk and part of the pavement on Buena Vista Street, in the section between René Fraga Park and the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, according to the newspaper Girón.
Michel León Rodríguez, the Mayor of the municipality, explained that the pressure from the accumulated water was so great that it ultimately destroyed the very hydraulic infrastructure designed to drain the rainwater. "The force of the accumulated water fractured and swept away part of the hydraulic infrastructure that existed specifically to drain the water. At this moment, risks are being minimized by clearing debris to later assess the damages that occurred," stated the official.
At the time of the publication of the report, the rains continued to fall over the municipality.
Workers from the Maintenance and Construction companies of the People's Power, the Ministry of Construction, and the Municipal Community Services, along with authorities from the Party and the Government and health officials, were deployed to the site.
Chinese-made heavy machinery —front loaders from the brands SDLG and XCMG, as well as a backhoe— worked on the removal of debris and asphalt lifted by the force of the water.
Mayor León Rodríguez attempted to downplay the incident by stating that the rest of the city did not experience serious situations: "So far, nothing alarming has happened in the city, just obstructions in several streets that we have been clearing with the teams currently working here."
The landslide this Sunday is not an isolated incident. The day before, the Guásimas creek, in the municipality of Cárdenas, had flooded several homes with water reaching approximately one meter high in some houses.
In September, torrential rains in central Matanzas caused partial collapses in 18 homes and the complete collapse of two buildings. In August, the San Juan and Yumurí rivers overflowed, inundating areas such as La Marina and Versalles.
The deterioration of the stormwater drainage system has structural roots. In June 2025, Matanzas reported 91 leaks in its hydraulic network, several of which were severe. In May of this year, only eleven of the municipality's 24 garbage collection trucks were operational, which exacerbates the blockage of drains and channels. Chronic blackouts, which render pumping systems inoperative, create a vulnerability scenario that recurs with each episode of heavy rain.
The Intendant León Rodríguez himself acknowledged in May of this year that the authorities have a debt to the city regarding public services, an admission that the landslide this Sunday once again highlights before the more than 300,000 inhabitants of Matanzas who are already facing chronic water supply issues.
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