Truck overturns on Cuba’s central highway

A vintage truck from the 1950s was involved in an accident on Cuba’s Central Highwayand landed on the side of the road without anyone being killed. “Central highway. In the town of Yariguá, Las Tunas. Only material damage,” reported a user of the Facebook group “Accidentes Buses & Camiones” in a post sharing videos and photos of the incident.

The truck with the registration number P 198 331 had to be righted by a crane that was sent to the scene of the accident. The pictures showed a large amount of white powder on the road that looked like a sack of flour. When asked about the vehicle’s load, the author of the post replied that there were no passengers on board, although the truck seemed to be equipped to transport people. “Flour and beer, that was all I could see. It looked like cargo from a Mipyme“, they noted.

“There were no passengers, it was food for the new owners of Cuba,” a supposed eyewitness commented on the post. A video shared in the above-mentioned group showed a cloud of white powder rising from the truck as it was being lifted up by the crane.

The city of Yariguá is located in the northeast, at km 11½ of the central road that connects the province of Las Tunas with CamagueyThe causes of the accident in this Consejo Popular are still unknown.

Recent accidents on Cuba’s central highway

In early May, a truck loaded with wheat flour overturned on the Central Highway near Las Tunas and its load fell onto the asphalt. Fortunately, no one was killed in this incident. Pictures on social media showed the condition of the vehicle, a Soviet model. Truck ZIL 130which had completely tipped over and its wheels were pointing towards the sky.

Witnesses to the accident stated that “the rear tires of the truck on the driver’s side had come loose, causing it to tip over.” The cab of the truck with the registration number B 223 975 was completely crushed. However, the driver did not suffer any serious injuries.

Such incidents are all the more regrettable given the severe wheat flour shortage plaguing the country and the fact that some provinces only guarantee pumpkin bread to children under 14 years of age.

In mid-February, a trailer carrying a container loaded with beer, drinks and other food overturned in Camagüey. Images on social media showed the container on the side of the road, with the cargo scattered across a meadow.

Last November, a group of Havana residents, including children, were involved in a sad scene when a truck carrying flour spilled a considerable amount of it and they began to pick it up from the street. The incident occurred in the municipality of San Miguel del Padrón, before entering the road called Ocho Vías.