Havana, May 22 (RHC)-- Cuban health authorities have announced the death of one of the three survivors of last Friday's fatal plane crash on the outskirts of Havana, raising the death toll to 111.
 
Despite the intense efforts of medical doctors, Gretell Landrove Font, 23-years-old and a native of Holguin, located in eastern Cuba, died Monday afternoon.  She had suffered severe injuries and was hospitalized in the Calixto Garcia University Hospital in the Cuban capital.  The two remaining survivors of the plane crash remain in very critical condition.

As of Tuesday afternoon, of the 111 killed in the tragic accident, 50 bodies have been identified.  

Meanwhile, the probe into the causes of the deadly crash continues and the U.S. has joined Cuba and Mexico.  According to international protocol, Cuba leads the investigation, as the state where the event occurred, and is aided by experts of the state of design and manufacturing of the aircraft, the United States, and Mexico as the state of the plane’s registry.
 
According to Granma newspaper, a researcher from the Federal Aviation Administration traveled to Cuba this Sunday along with the accredited representative of the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Boeing experts are expected to arrive later in the week.
 
Transportation Minister Adel Yzquierdo said all international experts involved in the examination will receive all the necessary facilities, as established by legal standards, so that they contribute to the progress of the investigation.
 
This is not the first time that the authorities of Cuba and the United States have exchanged in civil aviation matters. There are two agreements in force, signed during Obama Administration for the reestablishment of direct flights and another on cooperation in the field of passenger and commercial safety.   
 
However, the US blockade remains one of the main limitations for the development and expansion of the Cuban aviation industry.
 
Only in 2017, the Cuban Company of Airports and Services (Ecasa) and Cubana de Aviación suffered losses of more than 49 million and 21 million dollars, respectively, due to the hostile measure, according to the latest report on the subject submitted by the island to the United Nations.
 
Yzquierdo said that it is usual for Cubana to rent aircraft from foreign companies; especially because the U.S. blockade hinders purchases.