MIAMI, United States. – An explosion of large proportions shook the asphalt plant of Sancti Spiritus on the night of this December 24, at 8:20 pm, leaving a serious injury and extensive material damage in the area where the liquid used for the production of asphalt was stored, according to a report in the provincial newspaper. Escambray.
According to this source, the origin of the accident could be linked to a fire in one of the three tanks that stored the so-called RC, used in the asphalt mixture. The incident affected the two adjacent tanks, after spreading to the plant, the oldest in Cuba, founded in 1948.
The only confirmed injured so far is Alexey Díaz Salas, 48 years old. The director of the “Camilo Cienfuegos” Provincial General Hospital, Dr. Aliosky Polo Santana, described his condition with these words: “The patient is in critical condition, with 50 percent burns on the upper part of the body and a head trauma. He was evaluated by neurosurgeons, but the most worrying thing is the burns.”
According to statements by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ávalo Jorge, head of said entity, “so far it has not been possible to determine the cause of the incident. “The greatest material damage is concentrated in the area of the burning tank, which affected the two adjacent tanks.”
The asphalt plant, which remained operating stably, supplies asphalt for road construction and maintenance in various parts of the country.
