Alexander Pantoja Bertot, a project specialist with the Santiago de Cuba Electric Company, vanished on Thursday while conducting work duties in a rural part of the province, as reported in a public notice shared on Facebook by the company itself.
The state-run organization revealed that Alexander was inspecting the power line supplying electricity to the Gota Blanca reservoir, which lies on the border between the municipalities of Palma Soriano and Contramaestre. This area encompasses the communities of La Aduana, Juan Barón, Arroyo Blanco de Aguacate, Haití Chiquito, and Las Cruces.
“We at the Santiago de Cuba Electric Company are deeply concerned for the family of our colleague, Alexander Pantoja Bertot, an electrical worker who has been missing since yesterday while fulfilling his job responsibilities,” the official post stated.
The company confirmed that police authorities are actively involved in the search and urged the public to share the information to aid in locating him.
Community Urged to Aid Search Efforts
The Santiago de Cuba Electric Company emphasized that they are “closely monitoring the situation” and reiterated their appeal to the public: “We deeply appreciate any information that could assist in finding Alexander.”
Meanwhile, his sister, Yaima Bertot, issued an urgent plea on social media directed at her friends: “Please, I ask all my friends to share my brother’s photo and help me find him in Cuba. He went to work in the area of Palma Soriano and Arroyo Blanco, and no one knows anything about him.”
Yaima added, “The police are already searching for him, but please help me by sharing his photo to see if he can be found safe and sound.”
Pattern of Worker Disappearances Raises Concerns
This disappearance comes amid a series of grave incidents involving Cuban workers while on duty. On the same Thursday in Moa, Holguín, Ramón Gresequi, a driver for the Nickel Mechanical Company, was reported missing along with a company vehicle.
He was found dead the following Friday in the Miraflores hill area, Yaguaneque, with his body hidden in a hole and wrapped in nylon.
Earlier this month, Edisvey Rolando Pérez Rodríguez, a 32-year-old lineman, died in Havana during electrical maintenance work, a case confirmed by the Electric Union.
In October 2025, Pablo López Infante, an operator at an electrical substation in Granma, disappeared during his shift amid a Cauto River flood, another incident that prompted family-led social media efforts due to a lack of timely official responses.
The recurring trend of workers disappearing or having accidents in remote rural areas underscores the deteriorating working conditions within Cuba's electrical sector, where personnel often operate without the necessary resources or safety measures to manage the inherent risks of the terrain.
Key Questions on Recent Worker Disappearances in Cuba
What measures are being taken to locate Alexander Pantoja Bertot?
The Santiago de Cuba Electric Company has involved police authorities in the search and is urging the public to share information to help locate him.
What does the pattern of worker disappearances indicate about the current state of the electrical sector in Cuba?
The pattern highlights the declining working conditions and lack of safety and resources for workers, particularly in rural areas where the risks are greater.
How are families responding to these incidents?
Families are increasingly turning to social media to raise awareness and seek help due to inadequate official responses.