Building collapse leaves 3 dead, 6 injured in Havana

Jan 18, 2012, 20:38 GMT

Havana - At least three people died and six were injured in the partial collapse of a building in central Havana, Cuban state media reported Wednesday.

According to Radio Reloj, the collapse happened late Tuesday. The house in the Centro Habana neighbourhood was home to several families. Centro Habana is regarded as one of the worst-maintained neighbourhoods in the Cuban capital.

Cuba has serious housing problems, due to the poor state of many buildings that have not been renovated for decades.

Last year, Cuban authorities allowed individual citizens to buy and sell homes, which were up until then the property of the state. Since December, the government has been granting loans to build and revamp homes, and earlier this week tarted granting subsidies to people who need to fix their homes and lack the necessary funds.

Cuban authorities said they hope some 23,000 homes can be built this year in Havana by private initiative.