Relatives say Cuban woman marks 126th birthday

CEIBA HUECA, Cuba, Feb 03, 2011 (AP) - Relatives and friends of a Cuban woman have celebrated what they say is her 126th birthday, though that claim to longevity is not recognized internationally.

Cuba's Prensa Latina agency says Juana Bautista de la Candelaria Rodriguez has a civil registry document that states she was born on Feb. 2, 1885, in the town of Ceiba Hueca, where she still lives.

Her 125th birthday celebration last year was covered extensively in the island's state-run media, but she isn't recognized by the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, which verifies information for Guinness World Records.

The claim would make her the world's oldest person by more than a decade. At 114 years old, American Besse Cooper is recognized as the world's oldest person.