Las Tunas Cemetery Urges Families to Retrieve Remains Amid Space Constraints

The Necrological Services authorities in Las Tunas have called on families to promptly perform exhumations of their deceased relatives due to ongoing space constraints in the province's cemeteries and the limited availability of ossuaries for storing remains.

This issue was highlighted by the state-run publication Periódico 26, which acknowledged significant delays in these procedures at the Vicente García cemetery, the main burial ground in the city of Las Tunas.

According to the report, some exhumations have far exceeded the allowed extension periods, forcing necrological staff to venture into neighborhoods to locate family members and encourage their participation in the removal and relocation of remains.

However, this task can be challenging. Some families have relocated, others have emigrated, and in certain instances, the individuals responsible for the process have themselves passed away.

Challenges in Exhumation Procedures

When relatives cannot be found and there is an urgent need to free up space, cemetery workers may conduct exhumations "by default," a legally sanctioned option that has already been utilized at times, according to the publication.

The issue doesn't end with opening graves. Periódico 26 admitted that due to the limited availability of ossuaries, some exhumed remains end up temporarily in communal waiting areas.

This situation can complicate the future retrieval of remains. The newspaper noted that, over time, some descendants find it difficult to locate their relatives' remains, which are kept under the custody of cemetery workers while awaiting a permanent solution.

Efforts to Address Cemetery Space Issues

In response to this scenario, the Municipal Directorate of Necrological Services recently issued an official communication urging families to cooperate and adhere to the scheduled exhumation procedures.

Dulce María Zayas Rodríguez, deputy director of Necrological Services in Las Tunas, later informed the local radio that the public had responded positively to the call.

According to the official, this cooperation has helped recover space and, for the time being, prevented new burials in the Becerra cemetery and other nearby burial grounds.

Remarkably, the need to free up space is not a new challenge.

In April, the Vicente García cemetery had to suspend burials in its state-owned plots due to a space crisis that authorities acknowledged had persisted for approximately eight years without resolution.

At that time, Zayas Rodríguez admitted there were no areas left to construct new vaults, and exhumations were necessary to reclaim space.

Infrastructure and Cremation Issues

She also acknowledged that Necrological Services had the authority to perform exhumations by default when they could not locate the families.

Periódico 26 further admits that much of Las Tunas' necrological infrastructure requires investments and resources, and that keeping up with pending exhumations only partially alleviates a capacity problem that remains without a definitive solution.

The crisis is exacerbated by the absence of a local crematorium for bodies in Las Tunas.

Families wishing to utilize such services have had to turn to facilities in Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, or other provinces, while the Vicente García and Puerto Padre cemeteries have long struggled with space issues for niches and ossuaries.

The proposed crematorium in Las Tunas has also failed to resolve the problem.

In April, provincial authorities admitted that a project that had reached about 47% completion had regressed to approximately 15% after multiple thefts, including construction components and even a boiler.

The deterioration of the Vicente García cemetery has led to much more severe complaints. In February 2025, skulls and other bone fragments were reported near the cemetery, while locals pointed to deteriorated niches and demanded greater respect for the deceased.