17 missing, 121 hurt, 1 dead in fire at Cuban oil facility

HAVANA, 08 August 2022, (TON): A fire set off by a lightning strike at an oil storage facility raged uncontrolled in the Cuban city of Matanzas, where four explosions and flames injured 121 people and left 17 firefighters missing.

Cuban authorities said a unidentified body had been found.

Ministry of Energy and Mines tweeted “firefighters and other specialists were still trying to quell the blaze at the Matanzas Supertanker Base, where the fire began during a thunderstorm.”

Authorities said about 800 people were evacuated from the Dubrocq neighborhood closest to the fire, The government said it had asked for help from international experts in friendly countries with experience in the oil sector.

Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said “the US government had offered technical help to quell the blaze.”

On his Twitter account, he said “the proposal is in the hands of specialists for the due coordination.”

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