Cuba: In the Cuban city of Matanzas, a fire broke out after lightning struck an oil storage on Saturday night. Soon the surrounding areas started resonating with explosions. At the same time, the flames were so strong that people did not even get a chance to recover. According to officials, one people dead and 17 firefighters went missing in the massive fire. The Ministry of Power tweeted that firefighters and other experts are trying to douse the fire.
Cuban officials said at least 121 people were injured in the second blast, of whom 36 were hospitalized, five in critical condition. At the same time, more than 1,000 civilians have been evacuated from the area. Local resident Alfredo González said there was a huge explosion at around 8 pm last night and the second one at 5 am this morning was so big that it lit up the entire area like a sun.
The official Cuban news agency said lightning struck one tank after a strong thunderstorm, causing a fire that quickly spread to another tank. Then as military helicopters took off, pouring water over the fire, a plume of black smoke spread westward for more than 100 kilometers (62 mi) toward Havana.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines tweeted about this incident and said that firefighters and other experts are trying to douse the fire. Officials said that many people would have lost their lives if it had been delayed.
President thanked other countries for help
Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel gave information about this entire incident. “We express our deepest gratitude to the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Chile, who immediately offered assistance to cope with this complex situation,” he tweeted. He told that America has also done the work of providing technical advice in this crisis.
