China Offers Help to Cuba for Fuel Depots Fire in Matanzas

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences to Cuba for the industrial fire of some fuel depots in the province of Matanzas, which has so far left one dead and over a hundred people injured.

RELATED:

Efforts Continue to Put Out Industrial Fire in Cuba

In a letter addressed to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Xi stated that he is "shocked" by the event and assured that China is prepared to provide assistance to the Caribbean island. He also expressed his condolences to the victims of the fire and their families.

The authorities of the fuel depots alerted about the fire at 7:00 p.m. local time on Friday. According to the first hypotheses, the fire occurred after lightning struck the base of fuel deposits, exceeding the capabilities of the lightning rod system.

In the afternoon, a first deposit loaded with some 25,000 cubic meters of oil exploded. A few hours later, another tank, with an undetermined amount of fuel, caught fire.

The tweet reads, "The Maria Cristina ship, which has a storage capacity of 6,000 tons of fuel, is arriving in Matanzas Bay to evacuate crude oil from the Supertanker Base's tanks. That diesel is distributed in service centers in Matanzas and La Havana."

So far, this industrial fire has left one dead, 16 people missing, 122 citizens injured, and some 5,000 people evicted from homes near the accident site.

In response to local press reports about the explosion of a third storage tank, Matanzas Governor Mario Sabines on Monday explained that the fuel spill from the second tank that exploded was endangering other facilities. The third storage tank, however, has not collapsed.

Since the early hours of the morning, several army helicopters are collecting seawater and throwing it in the area of ​​the fire. A powerful water pump imported from Venezuela will also be used to spread a chemical agent and put out the flames.​​​​​

View the full article