The fire that broke out on Friday at an oil depot in Cuba remains out of control, and authorities announced Monday that a third tank was destroyed by flames.
The disaster began on Friday night when lightning struck one of the eight tanks in the field located in Matanzas, 100 kilometers east of Havana, which contained 26,000 cubic meters of crude oil, or about 50% of its maximum capacity. Riddled by fire, the cylindrical structure exploded early Saturday morning, spreading flames to a second tank containing 52,000 cubic meters of fuel oil.
Despite firefighters boarding cranes and helicopters that dropped multiple drops of water, this second tank in turn ruptured after an explosion at midnight Sunday, forcing an emergency evacuation.
“And what we feared happened” with the burning and destruction of a third tank that contained crude oil, the governor of Matanzas, Mario Sabines, said on Monday in a video uploaded to the Twitter account of the presidency.
One firefighter dead and 16 missing
The situation is “very complex” with “three tanks on fire” and a “quite large” fire area, the governor said, without specifying how many thousands of cubic meters this third tank contained.
Mario Sabines said that “teams” of rescuers from Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela “are positioning themselves” to spread the extinguishing foam, which “may take some time.”
According to a latest report, one firefighter has died and 16 are still missing, while 26 people are hospitalized, including five in critical condition. Relatives of the disappeared met with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and received assistance from doctors and psychologists.
On Sunday, four planes from Mexico and Venezuela landed in the resort of Varadero, 40 kilometers northeast of Matanzas, with oil firefighting specialists and tons of firefighting foam.
Source: BFM TV
