Teenager from Camagüey Vocational School Dies Under Unclear Circumstances

Amanda María Abreus Pérez, a 14-year-old girl from the rural community of Los Ángeles in the Camagüey municipality of Vertientes, passed away early Tuesday morning after experiencing a medical emergency while boarding at the Máximo Gómez Báez Vocational Pre-University Institute of Exact Sciences (IPVCE), where she was in the tenth grade.

Independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada initially reported the incident on Facebook, citing sources who claimed that the teenager had difficulty breathing during one of the frequent power outages plaguing the facility.

According to these accounts, Amanda was first taken to the school's infirmary and then transferred to a hospital in the city of Camagüey, where she was reportedly pronounced dead upon arrival.

The exact cause and circumstances of her death remain officially unconfirmed, and Amanda's family has publicly challenged some of the narratives circulating on social media.

A woman named Yadanis Abreu Rodríguez, who identified herself as a relative, urged for respect for the family's mourning period and cautioned against the dissemination of information that "is not entirely true" in Tan Estrada's post.

"It's fine to post about the country's situation, but not about my daughter's life and death, as her family is going through a very difficult time," she wrote.

Another woman, Odalis Abreu, also claiming to be a relative, expressed similar frustration about rumors spreading while the family was still in the initial stages of grief. "We, the family, suffer from the pain that will last forever," she stated, while questioning the accuracy of some of the information shared.

Consequently, it remains unverified whether an asthma attack, a fall from a bunk bed, lack of oxygen, or other speculated causes mentioned online led to the teenager's death.

The incident has deeply affected the community of Vertientes and former students of the vocational school, with numerous condolences offered to Amanda's family, educators, and peers. Some users who appeared to know her personally shared fond memories, with one person commenting, "We will always remember you, Amandita."

Simultaneously, the tragedy has sparked a broader conversation about the declining conditions at a facility that once boasted robust healthcare services for its boarding students.

As of this report, neither the administration of the Máximo Gómez Báez IPVCE nor the Camagüey Provincial Directorate of Education has provided a detailed public account of the incident, leaving the cause of death, the sequence of events, and the medical care Amanda received before being taken to the hospital still unclear.