MIAMI, United States.- The People’s Power Minister for Foreign Relations of Venezuela, Carlos Faria, sent all “solidarity with the government and people of Cuba” on behalf of the regime of Nicolás Maduro, although he did not specify whether they will respond to the aid that Havana requested this Saturday from “friendly countries.”
“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.
In the document, “the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reiterates, at a time of such deep sorrow, its unwavering solidarity with the brother People and Government of the Republic of Cuba, which with admirable courage and fortitude face this unfortunate incident that mourns Cuban women. and the Cubans.
So far, this is the first official pronouncement of the Venezuelan government, one of the greatest allies of the Cuban regime. However, despite the solidarity sent, the authorities of the former oil country have not said whether they will help the island to face this tragedy, after the Díaz-Canel government launched a desperate request to “friendly countries” with knowledge and oil experience.
An official note affirmed this Saturday that the island’s high command “requested international help and advice today to put out the great fire that continues uncontrollably at a supertanker crude oil base in Matanzas.”
Mexico will send assistance to Cuba by presidential order
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, which has left 76 people injured so far, reported this Saturday the Tabasco Journal.
The fire started on Friday night after lightning struck a fuel depot at the Supertanker Base in that Cuban province, west of the island.
According to information from the Mexican newspaper, 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.
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 a lightning strike hit the 52 crude oil storage tank of the Supertanker Base Base of that province. 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.
For their part, authorities said this Saturday morning that at least 17 firefighters are missing. Brigades of the Red Cross and Rescue and Salvage continue to arrive at the scene of the incident from the other provinces and from the capital.
Until the time of writing this news, the dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, had not commented on the tragedy in Cuba.
The United States government, through its Embassy in Havana, sent his condolences to all the people affected by the fire in the area of oil tanks in the province of Matanzas, which since Friday night has had the country on edge.
“The United States sends our deep condolences to all the individuals and families affected by the explosions and fire in the oil tank area in Matanzas, #Cuba,” reads the post on the embassy’s Facebook page.
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