Cuban oil depot fire: Casualties soar
(VOVWORLD) -At least 1 person died, 17 firefighters were missing and 121 were injured in a fuel depot fire in Matanzas province, the Cuban Ministry of Health said on Saturday. Minister of Energy and Mine Livan Arronte is among the injured. 1,900 people living near the fire area have been evacuated.
 Smoke rises from a crude oil storage tank in an industrial park near the city of Matanzas, Cuba, on August 5, 2022. (Photo: bolnews/VNA)
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On Saturday evening, a Boeing 737-700 of the Mexican Air Force with 83 soldiers and experts on board landed at Juan Gualberto Gómez airport in Matanzas to help put out the fire. An A340-600 aircraft of Venezuelan airline Conviasa is on the way to Cuba, carrying 35 firefighters and disaster management experts of the state oil and gas corporation PDVSA, together with 20 tons of fire-fighting foam and chemical powder for emergency backup.
On Friday evening, a 50,000 m3 crude oil storage tank (equivalent to the size of 20 Olympic standard swimming pools) in an industrial park near the Cuban city of Matanzas was struck by lightning, causing a big fire. Despite the concerted efforts of forces, including the Interior Ministry, smoke from the fire spread as far as the capital, Havana, about 124 km from the scene.