Cuba’s Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces reported that 13 soldiers are missing after several explosions caused by a fire today at a weapons and ammunition depot in the east of the island.
According to the Cuban official press, the ministry has not yet revealed any information about the causes of the fire, which occurred in the community of Melones, in the city of Rafael Freyre, 730 kilometers east of the capital, Havana.
In a statement, the ministry said “361 people living near the site were rescued” following the explosions, while another 1,245 residents were evacuated from the community of La Púa, about 30 kilometers away.
The ministry added that the building, in HolguÃn province, was used to store “old ammunition”.
In a previous statement, the ministry had reported that emergency teams were carrying out “actions to determine the situation of the personnel who initially faced the incident, as well as the material damage”.
According to Cuban state television, the families of the missing “were timely” informed by the Communist Party of Cuba, the party-state.
“The Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces are giving all possible attention to this situation and are continuing investigations at the scene of the events,” the authorities added.
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