Cuba: Eight Dead Following Hurricane Oscar’s Passage (Updated Toll)
At least eight people have died and two others are missing following the passage of Hurricane Oscar in eastern Cuba ten days ago, according to an updated report released on Wednesday by local emergency services, which remain active in the affected area.
“The consequences of Hurricane Oscar have resulted in eight fatalities,” and “two individuals are reported missing,” stated the Civil Defense headquarters in a communiqué cited by Cuban television.
The previous toll indicated seven deaths, six of which occurred in San Antonio del Sur, and one in Imias, both located in Guantanamo province in the eastern part of the island, approximately one thousand kilometers from Havana.
Hurricane Oscar, classified as a Category 1 storm when it struck Cuba on October 20 before transitioning into a tropical storm, coincided with a widespread power outage that left the island’s population of 10 million without electricity for four days due to a malfunction at a power plant and fuel shortages.
In San Antonio del Sur and Imias, flooding has severely damaged crops and destroyed numerous homes, bridges, roads, and power poles, complicating ongoing rescue efforts, according to reports from local media on Wednesday.
Official figures indicate that over 10,500 homes and 500 public buildings were damaged in Guantanamo province, where some areas remained isolated for several days due to the destruction of roads.
According to the latest information released on Tuesday by provincial authorities, “slightly more than 67% of the population” in Guantanamo province has access to electricity, while 63% are connected to water supplies.
