CUBA began two days of national mourning Saturday for victims of the crash of a state airways plane that killed all but three of its 105 passengers and crew as the Guyana Cuba Solidarity Movement (GCSM) mourns and expresses sympathies with families in this moment of pain.

This sentiment was shared by GCSM President Halim Khan who said that the airplane which was being operated on behalf of state carrier Cubana was on a flight from Havana to the eastern Cuban city of Holguin.

He said most of the passengers were Cubans, with five foreigners, including two Argentines. Six crew members were Mexican nationals.
“They have all our support and solidarity for the families of those who died and best wishes for the recovery of those who were injured.” Khan said while noting that the cause of the accident remains unclear.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel reported that an investigation was underway to determine why the 40-year-old Boeing 737 went down.

The Boeing crashed shortly after taking off from Jose Marti airport, coming down in a field near the airport and sending a thick column of acrid smoke into the air.
The mourning period is to last from dawn on Saturday to midnight on Sunday, the Communist Party leader and former president Raul Castro said. Flags are to be flown at half-staff throughout the country.

Guyana is amongst the 15-member Caribbean community grouping that has also expressed condolences to Cuba.