An adolescent attending a high school in Los Arabos, part of the Colón municipality in Matanzas province, is in critical condition following a severe incident this morning. A power line cable fell on him after a network explosion, as reported by Raisdel Naya, head of the Disaster Reduction Management Center in Colón.
The incident occurred around 10:10 a.m. on Friday. Witness accounts gathered by authorities indicate that an electrical line was compromised due to an explosion, causing one of the cables to fall directly onto the teenager, resulting in severe burns.
The young man initially received emergency care in Los Arabos before being urgently transported to the Mario Muñoz Hospital, a major medical facility in Colón. He is now being moved to the Eliseo Noel Caamaño Pediatric Hospital in Matanzas, according to a later update.
"At this moment, he is in critical condition, and evaluations are underway to stabilize him for transfer to the Pediatric Hospital in Matanzas," Naya stated in his initial report.
A multidisciplinary team of specialists is currently attending to the teenager at the medical center. The authorities are coordinating his transfer to the provincial Pediatric Hospital Eliseo Noel Caamaño in Matanzas, with traffic units from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) ensuring a clear route.
The identity of the young victim has not been disclosed publicly.
Electrical Infrastructure Crisis in Matanzas
This accident highlights the ongoing infrastructure failures in a municipality that experienced over 45 hours without power in October 2026, underscoring the significant deterioration of Matanzas' electrical system.
By the end of October, the province reported 162 damaged transformers—37 high voltage, 116 medium voltage, and nine low voltage—leaving more than 15,000 residents without electricity.
Recurring Electrical Accidents Across Cuba
This incident is not isolated. Throughout 2026, the collapse of Cuba's electrical grid has claimed young lives: 18-year-old Keyler Ramos Guerrera was electrocuted in Cabaiguán while trimming trees near a high-tension line in September, and Raudel Alejandro Guerra, 19, died after receiving a 33,000-volt shock during military service in Matanzas in October.
Another young man, Dalian Segura Venegas, 22, was left in critical condition with third-degree burns following a similar accident in Santiago de Cuba in July.
Officials had previously warned that circuits left without power for extended periods are susceptible to failures or incidents upon reconnection. This grim reality has become a daily threat to the Cuban population due to the precarious state of the electrical network.
Understanding the Electrical Crisis in Cuba
What caused the explosion in Los Arabos?
The explosion was part of the ongoing failures in the electrical infrastructure in Matanzas, leading to a cable falling and injuring the teenager.
How severe is the electrical infrastructure issue in Matanzas?
The province has witnessed significant deterioration, with 162 transformers reported damaged and over 15,000 people affected by outages.
Are electrical accidents common in Cuba?
Regrettably, yes. The collapsing electrical grid has led to multiple tragic incidents, resulting in injuries and fatalities among the youth.