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| Youth assemble on a dock while flares and smoke keep on ascending from the Matanzas Supertanker Base, as firemen and experts work to suppress the burst which started during a tempest the prior night, in Matazanas, Cuba, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. Cuban specialists say lightning struck a raw petroleum stockpiling tank at the base, making a fire that drove four blasts which harmed handfuls. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) |
HAVANA - - Cuban firemen were joined by extraordinary groups sent by Mexico and Venezuela on Sunday as they fought for a second day to control a fire blasting at a major oil tank ranch in the western region of Matanzas.
The blast started Friday night when lightning struck a capacity tank during a rainstorm, and the fire spread to a second tank early Saturday, setting off a progression of blasts, authorities have said.
Specialists said Sunday that a body found at the site had been distinguished as fireman Juan Carlos Santana, 60. Authorities recently said a gathering of 17 firemen had disappeared while attempting to suppress flares, however there was no word on the off chance that he was one of those.
A sum of 122 individuals had been treated for wounds, remembering five for basic condition, authorities said.
Commonplace Gov. Mario Sabines said Sunday that 4,946 individuals had been cleared, for the most part from the Dubrocq area, which is close to the Matanzas Supertanker Base in Matanzas city. The office's eight colossal stockpiling tanks hold oil used to fuel power age.
Thick dark smoke surged up from the tank homestead and spread toward the west in excess of 100 kilometers (62 miles) to Havana. The Ministry of Science and Technology said Sunday that the cloud contained sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and other harmful substances.
The debacle comes as Cuba battles with an extreme monetary and energy emergency, with continuous power outages hitting during a scorching summer. It was obscure how much fuel had been lost to the flares.
Cuba's administration had pursued for help Saturday from oil countries, and particular firefighting groups started showing up with their hardware from Mexico and Venezuela late Saturday.
"The help (is) in the avoidance of dangers and furthermore help to suppress the fire through cooling in view of water and froth," Mexican Brig. Gen. Juan Bravo said upon appearance. "We trust that more help will show up soon, like compound material."
Appointee Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said Saturday night that the U.S. government had offered specialized help. On his Twitter account, he said the "proposition is in the possession of experts for the due coordination."