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A fireplace set off by a lightning strike at an oil storage facility raged uncontrolled Saturday within the metropolis of Matanzas, the place 4 explosions and flames injured almost 80 individuals and left 17 firefighters lacking, Cuban authorities stated Saturday.
Firefighters and different specialists had been nonetheless making an attempt to quell the blaze on the Matanzas Supertanker Base, which started throughout a thunderstorm Friday night time, the Ministry of Vitality and Mines tweeted. The federal government stated later that it had requested for assist from worldwide specialists in “pleasant international locations” with expertise within the oil sector.
Deputy Overseas Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio stated the U.S. authorities had provided technical assist to quell the blaze. On his Twitter account, he stated the “proposal is within the fingers of specialists for the due co-ordination.”
Minutes later, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel thanked Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile for his or her presents of assist.
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, a dense column of black smoke billowed from the ability and unfold westward greater than 100 kilometres towards Havana.
Roberto de la Torre, head of fireside operations in Matanzas, stated firefighters had been spraying water on intact tanks making an attempt to maintain them cool in hopes of stopping the fireplace from spreading.
The Fb web page of the provincial authorities of Matanzas stated the variety of injured had reached 77, whereas 17 individuals had been lacking. The Presidency of the Republic stated the 17 had been “firefighters who had been within the nearest space making an attempt to stop the unfold.”
Seven of the injured had been taken to Calixto Garcia Hospital in Havana, which has a distinguished burn unit.
The accident comes as Cuba struggles with gas shortages. There was no instant phrase on how a lot oil had burned or was in peril on the storage facility, which has eight large tanks that maintain oil used to gas electrical energy producing crops.
Smoke column and a sulphur scent
“I used to be within the gymnasium after I felt the primary explosion. A column of smoke and horrible hearth rose by means of the skies,” resident Adiel Gonzalez informed The Related Press by telephone.
“Town has a robust scent of sulphur.”
Authorities stated about 800 individuals had been evacuated from the Dubrocq neighborhood closest to the fireplace, whereas Gonzalez added that some individuals determined to go away the Versailles district, which is a bit of farther from the tank farm.
Many ambulances, police and hearth engines had been seen within the streets of Matanzas, a metropolis of about 140,000 individuals on Matanzas Bay.
Diaz-Canel travelled to the world of the fireplace early Saturday, officers stated.
Native meteorologist Elier Pila confirmed satellite tv for pc photographs of the world with a dense plume of black smoke transferring from the purpose of the fireplace westward and reaching east to Havana.
“That plume will be near 150 kilometres lengthy,” Pila wrote on his Twitter account.
