The tragic event last Sunday at the corner of Compostela and Sol in Old Havana did not end with the deaths of a 38-year-old man and his 64-year-old mother buried beneath their collapsed home.
The disaster that crushed them in the early hours of the morning left more than just debris; it revealed the dire poverty that compels Cubans to sift through life-threatening wreckage to survive.
As discussions about the victims continue, neighbors were captured on video scavenging through the remains of the fallen building, amidst a street littered with rubble and waste, desperately searching for anything of use.
Their actions were not out of curiosity or morbid fascination. They were driven by a pressing need. "Someone always needs something, given the current situation on the Island," opposition figure Silverio Portal highlighted on social media.
Portal, a vocal critic, emphasized that this scene of desperation stems not from chance but from a system that has failed to build or repair adequate housing for decades.
"Two lives were lost here, and more will be lost as days and months go by. This has become the norm," he stated, gesturing toward the rubble while locals searched through it.
The street, blocked by remnants of the building, reflects a harsh reality, one that Portal condemned with a stark phrase: "a system's necessity."
The shared video captures what has become routine in the country: people rummaging through trash, salvaging whatever they can find, as the only means to meet material needs unmet by the State.
Portal insists this is not an isolated or unusual occurrence. "This is what we see daily," he asserted.
The regime has long ignored the housing crisis, neglecting to repair or construct anything while homes deteriorate and families endure lives amidst ruins, danger, and neglect.
The deaths of Carlos Fidel Sánchez Díaz and his mother, Sara Paula Díaz, are not anomalies, as statistics demonstrate.
Annually, approximately a thousand buildings collapse in Havana alone, resulting in injuries, fatalities, and homelessness. Residents of Compostela noted that the building had clear structural issues that were overlooked for years.
This neglect starkly contrasts with the swift construction of hotels and tourist projects by the government, while thousands of Cubans remain in precarious structures that become their graves.
State negligence, the lack of maintenance, insufficient investment in housing, and bureaucratic sluggishness force families to return to buildings at risk of collapse, as they have no other choice.
In the area of Compostela and Sol, the collapse claimed two lives, but poverty had been a silent killer long before.
What is visible among the building's remnants is not just destruction; it is a portrait of a nation where survival hinges on scavenging through ruins abandoned by the State.
Understanding Cuba's Housing Crisis
What led to the building collapse in Old Havana?
The collapse was due to decades of neglect and the government's failure to maintain or repair structurally unsound buildings, resulting in the tragic loss of lives.
How often do building collapses occur in Havana?
Approximately a thousand buildings collapse annually in Havana, leading to numerous injuries and fatalities, as well as leaving many without shelter.
Why are Cubans forced to scavenge through ruins?
Cubans are driven by necessity to scavenge through ruins due to extreme poverty and the State's inability to meet basic material needs.