Cuba has received offers of assistance from several countries, after it appealed for support to deal with a massive fire in an oil depot that was hit by a lightning strike, which led to explosions that killed at least one person, injured 121 others, and left 17 missing.
About 1,900 people were evacuated from the disaster area located in the suburb of Mantanzas, a city of 140,000 people 100 kilometers east of Havana, where a huge plume of black smoke appeared to obscure the sky.
“A body was found at the scene of the accident,” Luis Armando Wong, director of health for Matanzas, told a news conference.
Five of the injured are in critical condition, three are in a very serious condition, as well as 28 serious injuries, according to the latest toll published by the Cuban Presidency’s Twitter account.
Among the wounded was Energy Minister Levan Arront. As for the 17 missing persons, they were firefighters “who were in the area closest to the fire” when the explosion occurred
The fire broke out on Friday evening when a lightning strike struck a tank in the oil depot.
In the early morning, the fire spread to a second tank.
It may take “time” to put out the fire, according to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, so “Cuba has asked for help and advice from friendly countries with experience in the oil sector.”
The responses were quick, and the Cuban president expressed on Twitter his “deep gratitude to the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile, which immediately provided material assistance in solidarity in facing this complex situation.”
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