HAVANA (AP) — A hearth set off by a lightning strike at an oil storage facility raged uncontrolled within the Cuban metropolis of Matanzas, the place 4 explosions and flames injured 121 folks and left 17 firefighters lacking. Cuban authorities stated a unidentified physique had been discovered late Saturday.
Firefighters and different specialists had been nonetheless attempting to quell the blaze on the Matanzas Supertanker Base, the place the hearth started throughout a thunderstorm Friday evening, the Ministry of Vitality and Mines tweeted. Authorities stated about 800 folks had been evacuated from the Dubrocq neighborhood closest to the hearth,
The federal government stated it had requested for assist from worldwide specialists in “pleasant international locations” with expertise within the oil sector.
Deputy Overseas Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío stated the U.S. authorities had supplied technical assist to quell the blaze. On his Twitter account, he stated the “proposal is within the arms of specialists for the due coordination.”
Minutes later, President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked Mexico , Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile for his or her affords of assist. A help flight from Mexico arrived Saturday evening.
The official Cuban Information Company stated lightning hit one tank, beginning a fireplace, and the blaze later unfold to a second tank. As navy helicopters flew overhead dropping water on the blaze, dense column of black smoke billowed from the ability and unfold westward greater than 100 kilometers (62 miles) towards Havana.
Roberto de la Torre, head of fireside operations in Matanzas, stated firefighters had been spraying water on intact tanks attempting to maintain them cool in hopes of stopping the hearth from spreading.
Cuba’s Well being Ministry reported that 121 folks had been injured with 5 of them in vital situation. The Presidency of the Republic stated the 17 folks lacking had been “firefighters who had been within the nearest space attempting to stop the unfold.”
Later Saturday, the Well being Ministry stated in a press release that a physique had been discovered and officers had been attempting to determine it.
The accident comes as Cuba struggles with gasoline shortages. There was no rapid phrase on how a lot oil had burned or was in peril on the storage facility, which has eight big tanks that maintain oil used to gasoline electrical energy producing vegetation.
“I used to be within the gymnasium once I felt the primary explosion. A column of smoke and horrible fireplace rose by means of the skies,” resident Adiel Gonzalez instructed The Related Press by cellphone. “Town has a robust odor of sulfur.”
He stated some folks additionally determined to depart the Versailles district, which is a bit farther from the tank farm than Dubrocq.
Many ambulances, police and fireplace engines had been seen within the streets of Matanzas, a metropolis with about 140,000 inhabitants that's on Matnzas Bay.
Native meteorologist Elier Pila confirmed satellite tv for pc photographs of the realm with a dense plume of black smoke shifting from the purpose of the hearth westward and reaching east to Havana.
“That plume could be near 150 kilometers lengthy,” Pila wrote on his Twitter account.
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