HAVANA.- Emilia de la Caridad Quesada ''Mima'', a resident in the Cuban province of Cienfuegos, about 233 kilometers east from this capital, qualifies today as the world''s second oldest woman.

Her identity card records a surprising number: 01010509291. This means that she was born on January 5, 1901, and she is alive, highlights an article published in Granma newspaper.

According to the document, María Emilia, as her parents baptized her, celebrated her 117th birthday two days ago; however, it does not appear in the records that keep track of the oldest living people in Cuba and the world, the report added.

She has outlived her 16 brothers; several of whom lived more than 90 years.

Last year, Emma Morano (November 29, 1899), from Italy, died on April 15, while Violet Brown (March 10, 1900), from Jamaica, passed away on September 15.
Until that moment, both women topped the list of the world's oldest persons, according to the U.S.-based Gerontology Research Group, which certifies its data in the Guinness Book of Records.

The list also includes Nabi Tajima, who was born in the prefecture of Kagoshima, in Japan, on August 4, 1900, and currently resides in Kikai. Another compatriot, Chiyo Miyako, was born on May 2, 1901, but Maria Emilia is nearly four months older than her.

Monsignor Emilio Aranguren, bishop of Holguin and a friend of 'Mima', told reporters that it seems that the Guiness World Records has not received (yet) the information about Maria Emilia Quesada, who is weak in bed or a wheelchair, but whose mind is very sound and who has a very good memory.