Cuban Father Left Alone with Two Children Following Nitro Salt Tragedy in Havana

The father and husband of the young woman and child who tragically died this month due to poisoning from nitro salt ingestion in their home in Guanabacoa, Havana, now faces the challenge of raising his two remaining young children alone. This devastating event has left his family in mourning and shocked the Cuban community.

In mid-February, the young man lost his wife, Doraima García Moroña, aged 25, and his five-year-old daughter, Nashlyn Salet Hernández García. Seeking assistance, he reached out to former boxer Lino Tomasen, known as “The Cuban Iron Man,” who actively promotes charity campaigns to support those in need.

A follower of Tomasen recorded a video of the father hauling three sacks filled with recyclable cans on his bicycle, a job that earns him a modest income insufficient to support his children amid Cuba's current crisis and inflation. In another clip, he appealed for assistance from Tomasen and others, sitting with his young son while holding his baby daughter, who, fortunately, survived the poisoning.

Tomasen posted the videos on Facebook, including a recording of his visit to the father and his two children on Sunday. Surrounded by neighbors in their Guanabacoa neighborhood, Tomasen handed the young man 1,000 pesos in cash and provided groceries worth 10,000 pesos, as he noted in a comment on the post. Tomasen remarked on the sorrow of a father losing his wife and having to care for his children, expressing gratitude for the chance to help this family and others in need.

Eduardo Suárez, a Cuban residing in the United States, also contributed by donating to the young father. On February 15th, the young mother and her daughter passed away at the Guanabacoa polyclinic due to food poisoning caused by nitro salt, mistakenly used instead of common salt, as reported by the Havana Provincial Health Directorate.

The couple's infant daughter, less than a year old and breastfeeding, was hospitalized in intensive care but was declared out of danger, according to health authorities. Two other adults—the mother of Doraima and an uncle—were also hospitalized after consuming the contaminated food, officials confirmed.

Initially, the victims' 74-year-old uncle informed authorities he had obtained the nitro salt on Compostela Street in Old Havana. Two days after the incident, police unveiled additional case details, dismissing the possibility of the toxic substance coming from the informal market and highlighting the uncle's critical role in the mishap leading to the poisoning.

According to “Heroes of Azul in Cuba,” a Facebook page linked to the National Police, the uncle, who works as a raw material collector like his late niece's husband, found a packet of nitro salt, mistaking it for common salt and bringing it home, inadvertently causing the family’s accidental consumption.

Nitro salt, or potassium nitrate, is a chemical compound used in food preservation, particularly in curing meats. While it has bactericidal properties, ingesting uncontrolled amounts can be extremely hazardous, leading to poisoning and potentially death.

The scarcity of salt in Cuba, persisting for months due to unresolved logistical and transportation issues by the authorities, has forced people to buy it from the informal market or micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) at high prices, with costs exceeding 500 pesos per package.