The Cuban forensic experts who work in the search and identification of the remains of the disappeared in the fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Baseconcentrated their work this Tuesday in the laboratory, according to official sources.
As reported on Twitter by Dr. José Ángel Portal Miranda, Cuban Minister of Public Health, this Monday concluded “a first moment of searching in the area” of the incident, after which the main actions began to be deployed in the laboratories.
There “work is being done on the characterization and classification of each of the bone remains found, for which we proceed to the analysis and description of all the details, with the purpose of looking for signs that allow their identification,” he explained.
In the laboratories, work is being done on the characterization and classification of each of the bone remains found, for which we proceed to the analysis and description of all the details, with the purpose of looking for signs that allow their identification.
– José Angel Portal Miranda (@japortalmiranda) August 16, 2022
In the same way, added Portal Miranda, “the evaluation of the objects that have appeared in the different quadrants of the search area continues, to establish their possible correlation with any of the disappeared.”
The work in the laboratory was “the priority” this Tuesday, confirmed the minister, who reiterated that the specialists would dedicate themselves to the “study of bone fragments and found objects”
This Tuesday the work in the laboratories is a priority, for the study of bone fragments and found objects.
– José Angel Portal Miranda (@japortalmiranda) August 16, 2022
According to official figures, there are 14 missing persons, although their identities have not been publicly revealed by the government.
It is estimated that it is mainly firefighters who worked at the site when a large explosion occurred in the early hours of last Saturday, after several hours of the fire breaking out in the first of the four tanks that were finally damaged.
As a result of the disaster, 132 people were injured, of which 18 remain hospitalized in Havana and Matanzas. Of them, four remain in critical condition, five in serious condition and nine in care, while 112 had already been discharged as of Tuesday morning.
Tuesday 08/16/2022 (10:00 a.m.)
Updated information on the status of the injured as a result of the fire at the Supertanker Base of #Massacres:
People injured: 132
Medical discharges:112
Deceased:2
Hospitalized patients:18
➡️Critical:4
➡️Grave:5
➡️De care: 9– José Angel Portal Miranda (@japortalmiranda) August 16, 2022
Until the search work in the fire area is completed and the identity of the remains found can be determined, the official death toll in the tragedy remains two, both firefighters who were fighting the flames when they lost their lives.
The fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Base is considered by specialists to be the largest incident of its kind on the Island. The incident occurred just three months after the explosion at the Saratoga Hotelin Havana, a tragedy that left the unfortunate balance of more than 40 fatalities.
