Overview of the incident in Cuba, like hell: 17 firefighters missing, hundreds of people in critical condition

This huge oil storage tank has an estimated capacity of about 300,000 barrels of oil. It caused tremendous heat and on August 6 the smoke spread to the second oil tank. All operations at the oil port where the incident was Matanzas was suspended.

Currently, the incident in Cuba is of concern to the whole world when it is not completely controlled and has the potential to cause many casualties and property damage.

According to Reuters news agency, the cause of the incident was caused by lightning hitting one of Cuba's eight giant oil storage tanks on August 5, causing columns of black smoke to begin to rise.

It is known that this huge oil storage tank has an estimated capacity of about 300,000 barrels of oil. It caused tremendous heat and on August 6 the smoke spread to the second oil tank. All operations at the oil port where the incident was Matanzas was suspended.

Rescue work was deployed quickly and immediately. All resources from military helicopters try to use controlled water to avoid loss of life and property as well as minimize the risk of spreading to the remaining tank.

Reuters has described this sea of smoke as "hell" as it threatens to spread to a third oil storage tank. Cuban authorities say that so far the incident has left at least 121 people injured and 17 firefighters lost. contact. In which, 36 people were hospitalized in serious condition, 5 people were in critical condition and 1 person died. The number of people near the emergency evacuation area reached 1,000.

With the disaster rated as terrible, many countries have sought to assist Cuba. In particular, forces from Mexico and Venezuela coordinated with the Cuban firefighting team to be directly at the scene to find a way to handle the incident. In addition, the US offer of technical assistance was also accepted by the Cuban side.

On August 8, the governor of Matanzas province of Cuba - Mr. Mario Sabines continued to inform that the third oil tank had broken and the possibility of the fourth tank was threatened.

He compared the current fire situation to an Olympic torch, the flame being transferred from one oil tank to another, turning each oil tank into a furnace. Currently, covering the entire area are three oil tanks engulfed in flames and billowing black smoke.

Currently, this incident is still causing headaches for the authorities to find a solution. Because if a way is not found soon, this is indeed an extremely serious disaster and exactly as Reuters describes it as "hell". It not only causes great damage to property but also people and has a very serious impact on the environment.

Matanzas is Cuba's largest port in terms of imported crude oil and fuel. Cuba's heavy crude oil as well as fuel oil and diesel are mainly used to produce electricity for the people of this country.

In a statement on August 8, UNE said that it is currently unable to ensure that the thermal power plant can be operational again and connected to the national grid during peak hours. It is estimated that the Cuban electricity system lost about 1,192 megawatts after this incident.

The fire also occurred in the context that Cuba is facing a growing energy crisis that has led to prolonged power outages in recent days, seriously affecting production and life.

According to analysts, if the fire is not controlled soon, all eight huge oil storage tanks at the port will be in danger and may cause environmental disaster. People in Havana were soon warned of the risk of acid rain because smoke from the fire had spread to the capital, nearly 160km from the scene.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel also met with relatives of those missing in a serious fire at the Caribbean island's largest fuel depot. The Cuban president also visited the Faustino Pérez de Matanzas hospital to visit those injured in the disaster.

During the conversations, Mr. Díaz-Canel highlighted the solidarity of the Cuban people with the families of the victims and those affected by the fire. The Cuban President also expressed his appreciation that many governments and countries such as Mexico and Venezuela have sent experts to help extinguish the unprecedented large fire in Cuba.

President Díaz-Canel also extended his condolences to the family and friends of the first victim, one of the firefighters who was previously identified as missing.

The teacher choked on the memory of the sacrificed firefighter Do Duc Viet Minh Hà08:03:01 05/08/2022Leaving forever after the battle with the sea of fire to save people, Lieutenant Do Duc Viet also made many people choke not only because of his bravery but also because of his love and compassion. The letter from the old teacher to the firefighter made the reader extremely...