Relatives, Cuban authorities and residents of Holguin They paid posthumous tribute this Monday to the 13 soldiers killed by the explosions in an arsenal in the town of Melones.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel presided over the tribute held in the Plaza de la Revolución Mayor General Calixto García in Holguín, starting at 9:00 a.m. local time.
| The posthumous tribute ceremony to the thirteen combatants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, who fell in the line of duty, took place this Monday in the Plaza de la Revolución “Mayor General Calixto García”, in the city of Holguín.#CubaHonor pic.twitter.com/EkQbSQb81c
— Presidency Cuba (@PresidenciaCuba) January 20, 2025
Díaz-Canel, who was accompanied at the event by the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, and the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera, also decreed a day of official duel for the deceased.
During the ceremony, wreaths were placed and honor guards were held next to the portraits of the 13 soldiers. In addition, the notes of the Cuban National Anthem were heard and then three rifle shots.
The words of posthumous tribute were given by Brigadier General Florencio Navas Guevara, chief of the General Staff of the Eastern Army.
At the closing, flowers were placed before a pedestal located next to photos of those who fell in the line of duty, and the authorities offered their condolences to the families of the fallen.
| The relatives placed flowers in tribute to their loved ones and received greetings from those present, before giving way to the tribute of the people of Holguín to their brave children.#CubaHonor pic.twitter.com/IbXT8apwUj
— Presidency Cuba (@PresidenciaCuba) January 20, 2025
The president stated on social networks that the soldiers “died heroically and as heroes they deserve our most heartfelt tribute and support for their loved ones in the pain of loss.”
On January 7, a fire broke out in a weapons and ammunition warehouse of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Minfar) in the community of Melones in the Rafael Freyre municipality, which was followed by several explosions.
The infrastructure was seriously damaged, according to official reports, which pointed to “an electrical failure caused by a short circuit inside the facility” as a possible cause. The media have not accessed the place.
A week later, the Minfar officially declared the 13 soldiers dead, who until now had been classified as missing. The decision was made after a commission of inquiry concluded that “there is no possibility of life there.”
According to official explanations, so far it has not been possible to access the damaged warehouse due to “the extreme complexity that exists on the ground as a result of the explosions, the effects of the accumulated gases and the severe damage caused.”
The Minfar then added that there is “a real danger of collapses due to the structural damage to the work.”
EFE / OnCuba
