Cuba: Lightning strikes oil and gas facility – 17 missing and 77 injured, with flames spreading out of control | World News
A lightning strike has ignited an oil storage facility in Cuba, and the fire is now raging out of control.
Four explosions were reported at the site in the city of Matanzas, and nearly 80 people were injured.
17 firefighters who were in the area nearby and trying to stop the fire from spreading have been reported missing.
The Cuban government has enlisted the help of international experts in “friendly countries” who have experience in the oil sector.
As helicopters flew overhead to drop water, a thick column of black smoke rose from the area and spread westward toward the capital, Havana.
The storage facility is equipped with eight giant oil tanks that are used to fuel power generation plants.
Initially, the lightning struck a tank, but the fire then spread for a second – and the accident occurred as Cuba continued to grapple with fuel shortages.
Adiel Gonzalez, who was lying nearby, said: “I was in the gym when I felt the first explosion. A terrible column of smoke and flames shot up into the sky.”
The neighborhood of Dubrocq, which was closest to the fires, has now been evacuated – with some choosing to leave the counties a little further out.
Mantanzas is home to a population of about 140,000, and President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the area on Saturday.
