(EFE).- Two Mexican ships arrived in Cuba on Tuesday to assist in the work to extinguish the large industrial fire in a fuel depot park in Matanzas.
The boats arrived in the city this morning, as confirmed by the Island’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ships that arrived in Cuba are: Libertador, from the Mexican Secretary of the Navy, and the Bourbon Artabaze, a private ship contracted by the state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).
The second docked in Matanzas Bay around 9:30 local time and is specialized in security and fire protection services at marine oil installations, sources from the Mexican company confirmed to Efe.
“We come with the intention of providing seawater to the fire network at the base of the pier so that they (the Cubans) can make it reach the fire,” said Fabián Antonio García, first officer of the Bourbon Artabaze.
The latest report from the island’s health authorities reports one death, 19 hospitalized and 14 missing
On the other hand, the Libertador ship transported a helicopter that will also provide support in the extinction work.
The Mexican delegation, which began to arrive on Saturday night, is made up of 63 members of the army -including engineers, doctors and rescuers-; 4 aircraft from the US air force and 20 Pemex engineers, according to a joint press release from the Secretary of National Defense and the oil company.
This Monday a powerful hydraulic pump installed by specialists from Venezuela and Mexico with foam to extinguish fires also began to work.
Unlike the previous day, the fire begins to subside and the smoke has been dissipating. This has allowed special teams to gain access to the area surrounding the fire.
So far, the collapse of two tanks with a capacity of 50,000 cubic meters of fuel each has been confirmed.
The latest report from the island’s health authorities reports one death, 19 hospitalized and 14 missing.
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