Cuba's Castro Suffered Fatal Stroke - Report

Cuban leader Fidel Castro attends the closing session fof 6th Congress of Comunist Party of Cuba in Havana in April 2011. EPA/BGNES

The Father of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, has suffered a massive stroke, according to a Venezuelan physician, identified as Jose Marquina.

A number of media, including the New York Times and British Daily Mail, cite Marquina saying the stroke is extremely serious with Castro fading, not been able to feed himself, talk or recognize people.

According to Bulgaria's bTV this would explain the Communist dictator's long-running absence from public events.

It remains unclear when exactly he had suffered the stroke.

His family, including sister Juanita and son Alex deny the reports. Speaking for the Venezuelan El Universal, Juanita had dismissed them as absurd rumors. Relatives insist Castro, 86, "is well, going about his daily life," as Alex told CBS.

According to NYT, the Cuban government has not denied Marquina's statements,

In order to dissipate reports of the leader's stroke and even death, Cuban papers have published a message from Castro to students from a Cuban University congratulating them on the anniversary of their school, issued on the same day when media reported he was in a hospital.

His health condition is considered a matter of national security and is kept deep secret, often triggering speculations.

Castro has not been seen in public since March, when he met with Pope Benedict.

NYT further reminds that Jose Marquina is the same doctor, who declared in April that he had "first-hand" knowledge that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was losing his battle with cancer all while the latter is alive and kicking and was recently reelected.

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