MADRID, 8 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The fire started on Thursday by a lightning strike on fuel tanks in the Cuban city of Matanzas has caused the collapse of a second tank late this Sunday, whose collapse has caused a powerful explosion visible from different parts of the island , including the capital, Havana.
The governor of Matanzas, Mario Sabines Lorenzo, has confirmed the collapse of the second of the three affected tanks, as well as the spill of crude oil in the surrounding areas, according to the official press. Still standing, however, is the third of these warehouses, although the situation remains uncontrolled after some 40 hours of uninterrupted flames.
The authorities maintain the provisional balance of deaths at one, while another 16 people remain missing and five of the 24 hospitalized patients are in critical condition, according to the updated count by the Ministry of Public Health.
The residential area closest to the deposits, located in the supertanker port of Matanzas, remains evacuated as a precaution and it is not ruled out that the radius could be expanded if the situation worsens. The Government has ruled out danger for the city as a whole.