A 25-year-old Cuban youth identified as Alside lost his life in the waters of Playa Linda, in Puerto Madero, municipality of Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico, after being swept away by the ocean current while swimming during a trip to the beach with his family.
His body was found on Tuesday, October 20, nearly two days after his disappearance, according to reports from Diario de Chiapas.
The tragedy occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, October 18, when Alside had gone to the beach accompanied by his 70-year-old father and other fellow Cubans with whom he was enjoying a day of relaxation.
According to the father's testimony reported by El Sol del Soconusco, the young man entered the sea to swim, but the current began to pull him away, and he was unable to return to the shore.
His family witnessed how the sea took him away without being able to rescue him. The disappearance triggered a search that continued until Tuesday morning, when his body was finally located.
The search and discovery of the young Cuban
After receiving the report of the disappearance, search efforts began in the coastal area of Puerto Madero, where the ocean currents pose a danger to swimmers.
During Monday, the family anxiously awaited news about the young man's whereabouts. His father, who had witnessed the tragedy, had to grapple with the uncertainty of not knowing what had happened to his son after he vanished beneath the waves.
On the morning of Tuesday, October 20, authorities confirmed the discovery of a body in the vicinity of Puerto Madero. It was Alside's own father who identified it, according to local media reports.
The Forensic Services proceeded to lift the body, which was transported to the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo) to conduct the necessary autopsy, according to reports from Cuarto Poder.
As of the time of the reports, the results of the autopsy had not been released. The account provided by the family states that the young man was swept away by the ocean current while swimming and was unable to return to shore.
Local media did not specify the exact location where the body was found, nor did they provide details about the procedures for its delivery to the family.
A Cuban migrant who was awaiting a response to his asylum application
Alside was in Tapachula, a city in the Mexican state of Chiapas near the border with Guatemala, waiting for a response from immigration authorities.
According to Cuarto Poder, the young man was waiting for the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) to define his status in the country.
His father told local media that Alside had arrived in that city with the intention of finding better life opportunities. While waiting for the resolution of his paperwork, he remained in Tapachula alongside other Cubans.
On Sunday, October 18, he had gone out with his father and several countrymen to enjoy Playa Linda, unaware that the day would end with his disappearance in the sea.
Other Cubans have been in danger on the beaches of Chiapas
Playa Linda and other coastal areas of Puerto Madero are known for their strong currents, waves, and rip tides, conditions that can pose a risk to those entering the sea.
The death of Alside adds to other incidents recorded during 2026 on the beaches of that region, where several Cuban citizens have required the intervention of rescue teams.
In August, a 17-year-old Cuban teenager was rescued after being swept away by the undertow at San Benito beach, also located in the Puerto Madero area.
Days later, on August 29, a 30-year-old Cuban woman and a Honduran woman were nearly drowned on that same beach. Both were rescued by municipal police and personnel from the Mexican Navy, who managed to pull them from the water.
On that occasion, the authorities of Tapachula emphasized that the intervention of the rescue teams prevented the incident from ending in a tragedy.
In April 2026, seven more people were rescued in a single day on the beaches of San Benito, Puerto Madero, and Playa Linda. During the summer, the Navy Secretariat deployed 78 personnel on the beaches of Tapachula as part of Operation Lifeguard.
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