MIAMI, United States. – A Havana mass transit system city bus crashed in the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 24 against the hotel’s columns of the Grand Hotel Manzana Kempinski, in Havana, according to the official site Cubadebate.
According to the release, still being drafted on what is a developing story, “authorities are already at the accident site and are investigating the cause of the crash.” Details will be released soon.
Cubadebate, the digital publication, has generated several reactions from Cuban social-media users, who state that this particular accident has been covered by national news media because of its implications, which is not the case with accidents that do not involve the tourism sector, accidents where people have actually been killed.
“Yes, to them this accident is important, whereas other accidents, where people have been killed, are not even mentioned.” “Those columns will be reconstructed in a matter of days. Anything is possible if it’s for foreigners.” And, “In less than a week, this hotel will have its new column back as if nothing had happened, while the buildings around it, which can’t withstand a cold front, are falling apart.” These were some of the comments posted on the publication’s site.
The crash occurred on one of the sides of the Manzana Kempinski, on Agramonte Street, better known as Zulueta, which has the hotel on one side -the former Manzana de Gómez- and Central Park on the other.
According to Cubadebate, the collision took place at 5:00 am; seven people were slightly injured (five men and two women). They were taken to the “Antonio Guiteras” policlinic in Habana Vieja, where they were treated and later discharged.
The cause of the accident seems to be related to a technical malfunction of the vehicle’s steering mechanism, according to the information released, which caused the driver to lose control of the bus. Bus 604 is part of the P8 bus route, whose itinerary is Reparto Eléctrico-Villa Panamericana.
Traffic accidents are among the main cause of death in Cuba. Between January and September of this year, 350 Cubans have died in traffic accidents and another 3,700 have been injured, according to the official information.
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