They carry out rescue operations for thousands of victims in Cuba due to hurricane Melissa

Published at: 02/11/2025 12:14 PM

From helicopters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) of Cuba, in the last few hours, nearly fifty operations have been carried out in the east of the country, through which almost three thousand people affected by the passage of hurricane Melissa were rescued.

The evacuation tasks carried out in the province of Granma were supported by FAR forces and the Ministry of the Interior (Minint). The operations were concentrated in the municipality of Rio Cauto, seriously affected by floods following hurricane Melissa, which, as it passed through the Caribbean region in recent days, left nearly fifty dead in Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The tasks were led by Army Corps General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, first deputy minister, chief of the General Staff of the FAR, together with a working group from the FAR. In addition, Major General Eugenio Armando Ravilero Aguilera, head of the Eastern Army, took part.

The Chief of Staff of the Eastern Army, Brigadier General Florencio Navas, reported by telephone to the country's top management, after flying over the region by helicopter, that the town of Rio Cauto was surrounded by a gigantic flood.

In addition, firefighters joined the detachment carrying out rescue and rescue missions in the area. It was indicated that the operations were carried out with helicopters, amphibious transporters and traction trucks. It was reported that air assets from the FAR rescued more residents who were trapped by the waters in Rio Cauto. In addition, a girl and a pregnant woman were taken to a hospital facility in Bayamo. The authorities stressed that the reservoirs are safe and that there will be no water stroke, and asked the people of Riocautense to calm down.

The authorities indicated that, after evaluating 63 percent of the transmission grid in the eastern area, there are 160 downed electrical poles, more than 58 kilometers of lines of different voltage levels knocked down and a dozen damaged transformers.

One of the most affected areas identified so far is the Granma department, known as El Polígono, in the city of Bayamo. Serious structural damage was reported with the fall of two supporting poles of the 110-kilovolt Bayamo-Cauto el Paso line, a vital artery that feeds the station of the same name in the municipality of Rio Cauto.

Mazo News Team