Mailén Díaz, the sole survivor of the 2018 plane crash, gets married in Havana

March 25, 2022

Cuban Mailén Díaz Almaguer, the only survivor of the May 2018 plane crash in Havana, married Mario Jesús Rodríguez Oliva in a ceremony held at the bride's home in Havana and under the auspices of the Methodist Church, to which the couple belongs.

Mailén (23 years old) posted several photos and a video of her wedding with the caption "Congratulations, my love. I love you" on her Facebook wall, where she has received hundreds of congratulations and well-wishes messages.

Díaz arrived at the wedding carrying a bouquet of flowers and her now-husband pushing the wheelchair in which she has been moving since her long recovery following the plane crash in Boyeros; for now, the couple will reside in Havana, Díaz specified.
Wedding kiss / Photo: Facebook Mailén Díaz Almaguer

Mailén Díaz Almaguer is recognized for her ability to overcome the air tragedy, which she survived at age 19, and in which 112 passengers died, minutes after a Boeing 737 —leased by Cubana de Aviación from Global Air— took off from the "José Martí" international airport bound for Holguín, in which the sole survivor's then-boyfriend died.

"The most beautiful thing in life is knowing that you have been able to overcome everything. Self-love is one of the most important things," Díaz sums up her feelings from the unexpected ordeal she has had to live through, from the accident and during her stay in Havana hospitals "Calixto García," "Hermanos Ameijeiras," and the International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN).

"For many it was a surprise, honestly. They didn't know. Some time ago, Mailén and I were preparing ourselves and now was the right moment, when God was glorified, and everything conspired in our favor for this marriage to take place," said Díaz's now-husband during the wedding ceremony this Wednesday in Havana.

Visibly moved, before a small audience, and amid applause and blessings, Rodríguez Oliva dedicated a poem to Mailén Díaz affirming: "Love is joy, it is freedom, it is strength," according to a video shared by his new wife.

The wedding was officiated by Reverend Pastor Javier Díaz, and the witnesses were Yoenia González and Manuel Cabrera; and the parents and relatives of both bride and groom attended.

The Methodist Church has been present in Cuba since the late nineteenth century under the direction of the United Methodist Church. In February 1968, the autonomy of the Methodist Church in Cuba (IMECU) was declared.

The Methodist Church is a Christian movement that began in the mid-eighteenth century in the United Kingdom, inspired by the life and teachings of John Wesley, with his brother Charles Wesley and George Whitefield credited as significant leaders in that movement.