The first plane of the Mexican Air Force with soldiers and technicians arrived in Cuba to help extinguish a fire at an oil storage facility, Cubadebate reported.
Earlier, the Mexican media, citing sources, reported that a team of specialists of oil and gas corporation Pemex will be sent to Cuba by order of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
As noted by the portal, citing Brigadier General Juan Bravo Velazquez, there were 60 soldiers of Mexican armed forces and 16 technical staff of Pemex on board the plane.
According to the portal, three more Air Force helicopters from Mexico, as well as a plane from Venezuela are expected to arrive in Cuba.
A massive fire broke out at a Cuban oil storage facility in the port of Matanzas province on Friday evening after lightning struck the dome of a tank that held about 25,000 cubic meters of oil. Despite the non-stop work of the fire brigades, the flames spread to the neighboring tank and there was a series of explosions. The fire continues to be extinguished for over a day.
Local authorities reported that 17 people were still missing as a result of the fire. According to the Ministry of Health, one person died and 121 others were injured, 36 of whom remain under treatment, including five in critical condition.
