Social media in Cuba has been buzzing with efforts to gather information to identify and locate the relatives of an elderly man found dead on Tuesday morning in the Alamar neighborhood of Havana.
The deceased, an older adult, was discovered by a passerby at the Olimar pool in zone 1 of the densely populated urban settlement in the municipality of East Havana.
"Please, any family or friends who recognize this gentleman, I just found him dead at the Olimar pool in zone 1," Yoel Quintanal posted on Facebook. His plea garnered numerous responses, with many expressing their sorrow over the tragic news.
Some commenters identified the man as being from Alamar, specifically from building 855 in zone 24. They mentioned that his family is originally from the eastern part of the country, but he lived alone in the capital. He had been married to a woman who had passed away a few months prior.
A woman noted that the man "struggled a lot," adding, "I always saw him eating from garbage bins and collecting things." Meanwhile, another individual urged the author of the post to report the matter to the police.
As of now, the identity of the deceased man and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown.
Rising Poverty and Desperation in Cuba
Due to the worsening economic crisis in Cuba, exacerbated by the government's flawed policies, poverty rates have surged in recent years. This has led to an increase in the number of homeless individuals, particularly among the elderly, sick, and disabled, who struggle to survive by scavenging for food and sleeping in public spaces.
There have been several reports on social media of homeless people found dead in the streets. In April, the body of a homeless man was left for hours on a corner in the city of Holguín after being discovered by local residents.
Another elderly man was found dead on top of a garbage heap in Santa Clara, with his body lying there for hours before authorities removed it. According to area residents, the man subsisted on food from the trash.