Seven migrants from the island were injured in the accident that occurred on Monday afternoon in the state of Roraima.
14ymedio, Miami, December 17, 2025 — A serious traffic accident on Monday afternoon in the state of Roraima, in northern Brazil, left two Cuban migrants dead and seven injured, including children, as they tried to enter the South American country illegally, according to the Federal Highway Police (PRF).
It happened on the BR-401 highway, near the municipality of Bonfim, on the border with Guyana, when a PRF patrol detected a Chevrolet Prisma vehicle with ten occupants — nine Cubans and one Brazilian — heading towards Boa Vista. When he saw the police, the driver made a U-turn and drove off at high speed down the road. 
According to the official report, the chase included dangerous manoeuvres and reckless overtaking, as well as driving along the hard shoulder of the road. The vehicle finally turned onto a dirt road, where it lost control and overturned, ending up on its roof. When the police arrived at the scene, they found two of the Cuban migrants dead and the others seriously injured, including two children aged 3 and 8, as well as one person with minor injuries.
The authorities have not revealed the identities of the people killed, but media reports indicate that they are a 26-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy.
The authorities have not yet revealed the identities of the people killed, but local media reports indicate that they are a 26-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy. Most of the injured were taken to nearby medical centres, where they are receiving treatment. One of the occupants told the PRF that each Cuban paid $500 to enter Brazilian territory illegally.
The police reported that the accident occurred in an attempted illegal immigration to Brazil. There have been more of these in recent years on the country’s northern border, especially in Roraima, with the increasing number of migrants from different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Although historically the migration crisis in the region has been mainly to do with Venezuelan refugees, the COVID-19 pandemic, the closure of legal border crossings, and difficulties in obtaining documents have led migrants to attempt to enter via informal routes through trails near Bonfim and Pacaraima. Often they use clandestine transport networks, exposing themselves to dangerous conditions.
Many Cubans choose irregular routes in the hope of reaching other regions of the country in search of job opportunities and better living conditions.
Brazil does not have a formal programme for Cuban migrants, unlike its one for Venezuelan citizens, except for certain exceptional naturalisation or reception mechanisms, so many Cubans choose irregular routes in the hope of reaching other regions of the country in search of job opportunities and better living conditions.
Migrant and human rights organisations have highlighted the vulnerability of those who cross Brazilian borders without legal protection and the need for humanitarian mechanisms to reduce exposure to dangers such as the one that claimed the lives of the two Cubans on Monday.
Translated by GH
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