121 injured in Matanzas supertanker port fire increase to 121

The Ministry of Health has informed this Saturday that 121 people have been injured in the new balance of victims left by the fire in the supertanker port of Matanzas, as a result of a lightning strike.

“Until 19.00 (local time, 01.00 Spanish peninsular time) on August 6, 121 people were treated, of whom 36 are hospitalized in six health institutions in the country and 85 received medical discharge,” the ministerial portfolio has reported in a statement picked up by the newspaper ‘Cuba Debate’.

Of the 36 hospitalized, five of them are critical, three are serious, and the rest are mild.

Authorities also said that rescue services have recovered a body from the scene of the incident. However, it is in the process of identification.

The fire occurred as a result of a lightning strike on a 55,000 liter oil tank.

Faced with this situation of “imminent danger of spreading toxic gases”, the local government of Matanzas has ordered “the massive evacuation of the nearest populations”, in Dubrocq, near the industrial zone of Matanzas where the fire occurred, to a total of about 800 people.