Hit Lightning caused a major fire at an oil storage facility in western Cuba, killing at least one person. , after which a fire broke out on a gigantic scale.
This was reported by the Cuban media on Saturday, August 6.
A huge plume of black smoke rising from the oil depot was visible from all parts of the city.
The local newspaper Girón reported that the fire broke out in a tank with a capacity of 50,000 tons of oil, which was 50 percent full by the time the lightning struck. Subsequently, a strong northeasterly wind directed the flames to another tank of the same capacity with a large volume of fuel.
According to a local TV news report, firefighters are trying to cool the damaged tank to prevent the flames from spreading to other fuel tanks.
Now one dead, 121 injured, 17 missing, more than 1,300 people have been evacuated from the danger zone. Among the injured, five are in critical condition, three are in serious condition.
Representatives of the authorities, including President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero and other officials, left for the crash site.
When the fire spread to the second oil tank, a series of explosions occurred, which injured the Minister of Energy of Cuba, Nicolás Arronte Cruz, and the press group accompanying him.
Cuban firefighters continue to work intensively to extinguish a large-scale fire. The authorities have asked for help from neighboring countries – in particular, Mexico and Venezuela.
Recall that earlier in the Saratoga Hotel, located in the center of the Cuban capital of Havana, an explosion occurred, which killed at least 22 people.
Related topics:
Advertising
