One deceased and 29 injured individuals is the updated toll from the massive traffic accident that occurred this Friday on the Varadero highway, near the Carbonera area, in the municipality of Cárdenas, Matanzas.
The provincial health director, Yamira López García, confirmed the death at the scene of the incident in statements collected by the Cuban News Agency.
This report represents an update to the initial report of the mass accident in Matanzas, which recorded 22 injured and no fatalities.
Of the 29 injured, five were classified as red code —serious condition— and two minors were transferred to the provincial Pediatric Hospital with less serious injuries.
The Provincial Teaching Military Hospital "Dr. Mario Muñoz Monroy" received 22 of the patients.
His deputy director, Dr. Humberto Domínguez Suárez, detailed the clinical picture in comments to Periódico Girón: "We received 22 patients: 21 adults and a child who is under observation and does not have significant injuries. Among the adults, there are four neuro-surgical traumas and two cervical injuries. All will be transferred to Faustino Pérez Hospital once stabilized, to have a tomography done and be assessed by a neurosurgeon, services that we do not have here."
In addition to those six cases, two other patients with facial trauma needed to be transferred to the same center, the only one in the province with tomography and neurosurgery.
A seventh case, with renal trauma, underwent emergency surgery at the Military Hospital and would later be transferred to assess a possible spinal cord injury.
"Fractures of the limbs and collarbone are predominant, and there are some chest traumas, but everyone is out of danger. We have no severe patients, except for the one undergoing surgery," Dr. Domínguez Suárez clarified regarding the other injured individuals.
Witnesses of the accident attributed the incident to a mechanical failure of the vehicle. "The truck's steering broke. It crashed into a sign. The neighbors here helped to rescue the injured," recounted a resident of Carbonera in comments on social media.
Due to the delay in the arrival of ambulances, it was the residents and private drivers themselves who assisted and transported the victims.
The doctor assured the family members that the situation was under control: "Please remain calm. All the necessary resources to care for the patients are here at the facility. From the very beginning, the provincial health director and the deputy provincial director of medical assistance have been on site to provide any needed support."
The incident occurs in a context of increasing traffic accidents in Cuba. According to data from the National Road Safety Commission gathered by Infobae, in 2025, 750 people died in traffic accidents in Cuba, an increase of 18.2% compared to the previous year, with over 7,500 recorded incidents. In the first quarter of 2026, there were already 153 fatalities reported.
Recent similar accidents include the collision of a Viazul bus with a truck in Camagüey earlier this month, which resulted in one death and eight injuries, and the overturning of a passenger-adapted truck in Quemado de Güines in May, which left two dead and 13 injured.
The widespread deterioration of the Cuban vehicle fleet and the use of retrofitted cargo vehicles for transporting people are among the factors driving this trend.
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