A residential building collapse in the Cuban capital, Havana, has resulted in the tragic deaths of at least three individuals.
The collapse occurred late on Tuesday night local time, but it took until Wednesday afternoon for rescue workers to discover the body of a 79-year-old resident buried under the rubble.
The other two victims were rescue workers, who were inside the building searching when a second collapse occurred.
Havana is renowned for its historic houses, but many of these structures are in a perilous state of disrepair.
Cuba’s housing minister stated last month that approximately 850,000 homes throughout the Communist-run Island urgently require maintenance.
While Old Havana is a popular tourist destination where visitors admire its once-grand but now deteriorating houses, residents face a severe housing shortage, leading many families to live in buildings on the brink of collapse.
The Cuban government attributes its inability to source building materials for repairs to the economic embargo imposed by the United States.
In 2018, the government announced a national program aimed at constructing new buildings, but critics argue that it has primarily focused on building hotels to attract tourists and generate revenue, rather than addressing the housing needs of local residents.
This building collapse in Havana is the latest in a series of disasters affecting the city’s housing. In May 2022, a gas explosion at the Saratoga hotel resulted in numerous casualties.
Source-BBC
