Government summons neighbors blamed for girls’ deaths from balcony collapse in Havana

Neighbors accused of killing three girls after a balcony collapse in Old Havana must appear in provincial court on Thursday.

Marty news It is reported that Adrian Fremeta González, his wife Regla Isabel Rodríguez López, his brother Alain Wilfrido Frometa González and his uncle Abimael Peña Prado were sentenced to prison by the Supreme Court last November, and must appear before the authorities on February 22 after receiving a citation.

Rocío García Napoles, 11, María Carla Fuentes and Lisnavi Valdes Rodríguez, both 12, died in late January 2020 when a balcony collapsed on them in Old Havana.

A family living in the building next door He was convicted of the act In a controversial trial in which he was charged with “manslaughter due to recklessness”.

Adrian Frometa, living in Vives #102 between Águila and Revillagigedo, with his wife Regla Isabel Rodríguez, as well as his brother Alain and his uncle Abimael, has insisted on his innocence and denounced the authorities. They were sentenced to six and seven years in prison. without evidence.

Frómeta, 26, accuses the authorities and the Cuban state of not taking real responsibility for the disaster, while he has put him at the center of criticism from the population for the poor condition of the housing fund in Havana.

The authorities accused him that some repair actions carried out in his house to stop the leak caused the balcony to collapse, resulting in the death of the minors, when in fact those who were working near the collapse were “SECONS organizations (construction services) which belongs to the state,” complained the complainant.

According to him, the Specialized Construction Services Brigade (SECONS), which is in charge of the demolition of the building that collapsed and was in charge of the work shortly before the incident, is the real person responsible.

In statements to Marty news He explained that “they worked on the back roof which was getting wet.” Authorities alleged that the work affected the balcony at the front of the building.

According to provincial court documents cited by independent media 14 MedioAuthorities ordered the demolition of the second floor of the building in 2019 due to the risk of collapse.

In November 2023, Cuba’s Supreme People’s Court rejected an appeal presented by the four convicts.