A second oil tank collapsed overnight in Matanzas, western Cuba, where firefighters are battling for another 48 hours against a massive blaze that has left one dead and 16 missing.
“Tank number 2 has just collapsed, we still don’t know if the cover of tank 3 came off in the explosion,” Popular Power in the city of Matanzas, 105 kilometers from Havana, told the state government.
The massive fire started Friday night when lightning struck a tank that was part of a facility with eight large fuel tanks.
The first tank contained 26,000 cubic meters of oil, almost 50% of the maximum capacity. In the early hours of Saturday, the large cylinder collapsed and flames spread to a second tank containing 52,000 cubic meters of fuel. This tank collapsed on Sunday night.
Two affected tanks were nearby, and since Saturday, officials fear the fire has spread to a third warehouse.
Units working at the site at risk were evacuated Sunday night, the Matanzas state government was informed.
According to the latest medical bulletin published before the second tank collapsed, 24 people were hospitalized, one dead and five in critical condition.
It was reported that 16 people who were reported missing were “firefighters in the area closest to the fire”.
The body of 60-year-old firefighter Juan Carlos Santana, found on Saturday, was buried with tribute on Sunday in his hometown of Rodas in the neighboring province of Cienfuegos.
Relatives of the disappeared met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel at a hotel in downtown Matanzas, where he received support from doctors and psychologists.
The President said, “All the support is for you. Whatever you need, we are here.”
The tragedy occurred three months after the explosion in a gas leak at the Saratoga hotel in Havana.
Authorities coordinated on Sunday with brigade commanders from Mexico and Venezuela, who arrived on Saturday to help put out the fire.
Four Mexican planes and a Venezuelan plane landed with supplies and technical assistance at the airport in the famous resort town of Varadero, about 40km north of Matanzas.
“Help is important, I believe it will be decisive,” Díaz-Canel told the media.
source: Noticias
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