A passenger truck lost control and crashed into a metal pole this Friday in Carbonera, a coastal town in the municipality of Cárdenas, resulting in 22 injuries, two of whom are in serious condition, according to reports from TV Yumurí and Periódico Girón.
The provincial director of Health in Matanzas, Yamira López García, confirmed the toll and specified that most of the victims were assisted and transported to medical centers by private vehicles passing through the area, due to the lack of immediate ambulances.
The two critically ill patients were taken to the Comandante Faustino Pérez Hernández Clinical-Surgical Teaching Hospital, where they are currently receiving medical attention.
The other injured individuals, in a stable condition, were treated at the Provincial Military Teaching Hospital "Dr. Mario Muñoz Monroy."
A witness residing in Carbonera described the scene on social media: "The steering of the truck broke. It crashed into a sign. Here, the neighbors helped to rescue the injured," he noted in the comments of a Facebook post by communicator Christian Arbolaez, who first reported the incident. The same neighbor confirmed that there were no fatalities.
Another person who was following the situation from the hospital said, "I have a friend at the military hospital; she tells me that many people are arriving."
Carbonera is a small rural settlement located in the coastal area between the city of Matanzas and Varadero, with just over 1,500 inhabitants.
The mechanical failure in the truck's steering, noted by witnesses, is consistent with the widespread deterioration of the Cuban vehicle fleet, where cargo vehicles repurposed for passenger transport operate daily due to the serious transportation crisis facing the island.
This type of accident has occurred repeatedly in recent months. In May, a ZIL-130 truck adapted for passengers crashed in Villa Clara, resulting in two deaths and 13 injuries. In October, a collision between a Viazul bus and a truck in Camagüey resulted in one fatality and eight injuries.
The situation regarding road traffic accidents in Cuba is alarming: in 2025, 750 people died in traffic accidents—an increase of 18.2% compared to the previous year—with over 7,500 incidents recorded, according to data from the National Road Safety Commission cited by Infobae. In the first quarter of 2026, there were already 153 reported fatalities.
The official local press indicated that the news is still developing, so the toll may be updated in the coming hours.
Filed under: