HAVANA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The two survivors of the tragic plane crash in Cuba last week remain in critical condition while investigations into the accident continue with the participation of local and foreign experts.
In the daily press conference, Dr. Carlos Alberto Martinez, director of Havana's Calixto Garcia hospital, said that both women who survived the incident have improved slightly, although one of them experienced respiratory problems in the last few hours.
Mailen Diaz, 19, Emiley Sanchez, 39, and Grettel Landrove, 23, were the only survivors when the Boeing 737 aircraft crashed shortly after it took off on Friday.
Landrove died on Monday due to the severe injuries she suffered in the accident.
According to Martinez, both patients respond in a positive way to neurological stimulus and are conscious sometimes.
"However, Sanchez presented a respiratory distress decreasing her capacity to breathe connected to a mechanical ventilator," he said.
She remains with an unfavorable outlook due to the severe burns on 41 percent of her body.
In the meantime, Diaz continues to progress with good tolerance to nutrition and is conscious for larger periods of time.
"Although the patient continues to be in critical condition due to severe traumatisms there has been an improvement in her condition," he added.
Meanwhile, at Havana's Legal Medicine Institute experts work around the clock to identify the victims of the plane crash to hand them over to family members.
So far 58 people have been identified, including 10 of the 11 foreigners that died in the tragic accident. Only one of the Mexican crew members still hasn't been recognized.
"We have talked with authorities of the countries involved and either the bodies of the victims or their ashes will be repatriated back to their nations in the coming hours," said to the press in his daily briefing, Dr. Sergio Rabell, director of Havana's Legal Medicine Institute.
One Argentinian couple along with a Mexican tourist, as well as two foreign residents in the island traveled on the plane bound for the city of Holguin, about 700 kilometers east of Havana.
The majority of the Cubans which died were also from that province and the ones identified so far have been taken back to their natal towns for burial.
At the site of the crash, about 1 kilometer south of the airport, Cuban experts continue to work collecting evidence which could lead to future explanations on the causes of the disaster.
Local specialists were joined by Mexican aviation authorities, experts from Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, and U.S. personnel from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
A Boeing 737 plane, owned by Mexican company Damojh and leased by Cubana de Aviacion, crashed on Friday near Jose Marti International Airport in Havana with 113 people on board.
The Mexican firm is now under investigation by aviation authorities in that country and has been prohibited from flying or leasing aircrafts to other airlines.
In the incident, 111 people died, including 100 Cubans, five foreigners and six crew members, all Mexicans.
