In an unprecedented event, the Cuban government thanked its United States counterpart this Saturday for the technical assistance provided to deal with the large-scale fire that consumes from this Friday night part of the Matanzas Super Tanker Base.
“We deeply appreciate the condolences and expressions of help from various US organizations and people due to the incident in Matanzas, including the US Government, which offered technical advice, a proposal that is in the hands of specialists for proper coordination,” he wrote on Twitter. Carlos de Cossío, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The government thanks come hours after the United States government express and offer condolences to all those affected by the explosions and the fire, which so far has not been contained.
The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel also reacted to the help provided. In a post on Twitter, he thanked the countries that have offered his help, such as Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, and Nicaragua, in addition to the United States.
“We express deep gratitude to the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile, which have promptly offered solidary material aid in the face of this complex situation. We also appreciate the offer of technical advice from the US,” he wrote.
For its part, the United States Embassy in Cuba said this Saturday afternoon, through its Twitter social network account, that they were in contact with the Cuban government about the incident in Matanzas.
“In the meantime, we want to make it clear that US law authorizes US entities and organizations to provide disaster relief and response in Cuba,” the Havana embassy said.
The fire, uncontrollable since the night of this Friday, August 5, has left at least 67 people injured, three of them in critical condition, and one deceased, a firefighter, whose identity is still unknown.
The fire started in the night hours of this August 5 after lightning struck the crude storage tank 52 of the Matanzas Supertanker Base Base.
Since then there have been four explosions, and at least two tanks are affected by the flames. While the sinister consumes the place the authorities work to extinguish the fire.
Request for help and international response
On Saturday morning, the Cuban government sent a desperate request for international help and advice to “friendly countries” with experience in oil, in order to contain the fire.
So far, in addition to the United States, Venezuela and Mexico have reacted to the catastrophe.
The Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Relations of Venezuela, Carlos Faria, sent on behalf of the regime of Nicolás Maduro all “solidarity with the government and people of Cuba”, however, did not specify whether they will respond to the help that Havana requested this Saturday.
“All our solidarity with the government and people of Cuba, for the tragedy that occurred at the super tanker base in Matanzas. We extend our affection, affection and condolences to the families of those who died and were injured in such an unfortunate event,” the official wrote, along with an official statement.
For its part, by presidential order, specialized personnel from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) are getting ready to travel to Cuba to help extinguish the fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Base.
As reported this Saturday by the Diario de Tabasco, high-level sources from the federal government assured that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador himself was the one who gave the instruction to travel to Cuba.
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