Havana, Cuba: One fatality and many injuries after a series of building collapses

This week Cuba experienced at least 19 partial collapses in Havana due to recent heavy rains. The collapses have resulted in fatalities, injuries, and growing concern over the vulnerability of housing structures on the island according to local authorities. The heavy rain exacerbated the already weakened buildings.

The series of collapses began on June 19^th in Old Havana, where a building collapse injured a person, while, another major incident occurred in El Vedado, where four people were injured by a collapsed balcony in a café. Two days later, on June 21^st, a wall collapsed in the Cerro municipality, resulting in one fatality and two injuries. In addition, the same day, a partial collapse occurred in the Playa municipality, but luckily, no one was injured. The collapses continued, but no additional deaths or injuries were reported.

It is mentioned that most of the sites, where collapses occurred, are culturally and touristically significant. The Cuban government suggested that the collapses were a result of poor maintenance and adverse weather conditions. Moreover, locals have expressed that the island's infrastructure is severely deteriorated. They contend that these occurrences are not isolated incidents but rather a consistent pattern that underscores inadequate housing management in Cuba. In all, they suggest that infrastructure issues should be addressed with priority and sustainable policies must be adopted.