A dark smoke cloud was sent over the island nation after a fire broke out overnight in Matanzas, Cuba, east of Havana.
After lightning struck a petroleum storage tank at a depot in Matanzas, Cuba, there was a big fire. Another storage tank blew up on Saturday early in the morning.
At least 121 individuals have been hurt, and 17 firefighters remain missing. Several individuals are in serious condition, according to the nation’s health minister, who posted on Twitter.
On Saturday, Cuba made a call for aid in putting out the significant fire at a gasoline storage facility that led to 121 casualties, at least one dead, and the disappearance of 17 firefighters.
Livan Arronte, the energy minister, was among those hurt.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel thanked the administrations of Russia, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Nicaragua, and Chile later in the day for their assistance.
At the depot outside of Matanzas, a 140,000-person city, a lightning strike on a tank caused it to catch fire.
By Saturday morning, the explosion had expanded to a second tank, causing a second explosion and a massive tower of black smoke to rise into the sky.
On Saturday, the fire was actively being fought by helicopters, along with ambulances, water tanks, and cranes.
Firefighters who were exhausted gathered outside the factory, preparing to enter to search for their colleagues who were unable to flee the second explosion.
Cupet claims that when the first tank was struck by lightning, it had about 26,000 cubic meters of crude in it, or roughly half it’s capacity.
Fuel oil in the second container was 52,000 cubic meters.
The largest thermoelectric plant in Cuba, Antonio Guiteras, is supplied by the depot, but according to the official, service to the facility has not been disrupted.
The calamity strikes at a season when the island, which has an outdated energy infrastructure and ongoing fuel shortages, is struggling to satisfy rising energy demands during the intense summer heat.
The accident occurred as Cuba experienced fuel scarcity.
Since May, the government has mandated electrical blackouts that can last up to 12 hours daily in some locations, sparking massive protests throughout the 11 million-person nation.
Even though there was no early word on the oil or storage facility’s damage, the incident did significantly damage the electricity-generating equipment that uses the depot’s fuel.
