Fast food giant to join likes of Nike, KFC in reopening branches in Kyiv
Lightning struck a crude oil storage tank in the city of Matanzas, causing a fire that led to four explosions which injured more than 40 people, Cuban authorities said Saturday.
Firefighters and other specialists were still trying to quell the blaze at the Matanzas Supertanker Base, which began during a thunderstorm Friday night, the Ministry of Energy and Mines tweeted.
The official Cuban News Agency said the lightning strike set one tank on fire and the blaze later spread to a second tank.
The accident comes as Cuba struggles with fuel shortages. There was no immediate word on how much oil had burned or was in danger at the tank farm, which stores oil used to fuel electricity production.
Faustino Pérez Hospital reported it was treating 49 people, two of them with critical injuries, the official cubadebate portal said.
“I was in the gym when I felt the first explosion. A column of smoke and terrible fire rose through the skies,” resident Adiel Gonzalez told The Associated Press by phone. “The city has a strong smell of sulfur.”
Authorities said the Dubrocq neighbourhood closest to the fire was evacuated, while Gonzalez added that some people decided to leave the Versailles district, which is a little farther from the tank farm.
There were many ambulances, police and fire engines, he said.
ALSO READ:
Matanzas, which has about 140,000 inhabitants, is 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Havana, on Matnzas Bay.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel traveled to the area of the fire early Saturday, officials said.
Fast food giant to join likes of Nike, KFC in reopening branches in Kyiv
'Leaders thanked one another for their support and friendship,' said No. 10 spokesperson
He said that it was the 'most vulnerable thing' he would ever share
Marina Ovsyannikova faces up to 10 years in prison if tried and convicted
The newspaper published her picture under an article about Arab women being 'fatter' than men
The star of the 1978 hit musical 'Grease' died on Monday at her home in Southern California
The Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Razoni left the Odessa port on August 1, carrying 26,000 tonnes of maize
Many of them are studying language courses, as well as those with a practical significance, such as IT