Havana, Cuba.- Rains associated with the subtropical storm Alberto caused damages in the Cuban western provinces, where thousands of people were evacuated, local authorities report today.

The Union of Railways of Cuba announced the cancellation of its operations with passengers at the national level until it is possible to resume them, due to the damage caused by the rainfall to the road infrastructure.

For its part, the National Bus Company adopted a similar measure with the buses leaving or passing through the central provinces of Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus.

In those three territories, at least 11,000 people were evacuated, in response to phenomena such as the flood of rivers and releasing dams.

Also in Matanzas, in western Cuba, more than 2,300 people had to be moved to safe places, with the municipalities Martí, Perico, Colón and Pedro Betancourt as the most affected.