Havana building collapse kills two elderly residents

Two elderly individuals died on Sunday when the front porch of their home collapsed in the Lawton neighborhood of Havana, located in the Diez de Octubre municipality. The victims were seated on the porch at the intersection of 8th and San Francisco streets when the structure gave way.

Emergency responders from Comando 4 and medical teams faced a difficult rescue operation due to the mixture of fallen concrete and metal. The building was an older structure featuring beam and slab construction with a porch roof exceeding five meters in height. Reports indicate the property was already in a state of severe disrepair, with a single column supporting the porch and the front wall leaning against a neighboring house.

This incident highlights a broader housing crisis in Havana, where aging infrastructure and recent rainfall have contributed to frequent accidents. Approximately 1,000 building collapses are reported annually in the city, and as of late 2025, over 185,000 homes in the city were noted to be in poor condition.