Articles

Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan & Medea Benjamin

By now, the images of the oil explosion that erupted in the Cuban province of Matanzas on Friday, August 5, and continues blazing have become international news. When lightning struck an oil tank in Cuba's largest oil storage facility, it quickly exploded and began to spread to nearby tanks. As of now, four of the eight tanks have caught fire. Dozens of people have been hospitalized, over 120 have been reported injured, at least 16 firefighters are still reported missing and one firefighter has died. 

Since the news about the large-scale fire that occurred in the industrial zone of the port of Matanzas became known, there have been multiple messages of condolences received from organizations, Cuban residents, US citizens and representatives of many other sectors in the US .

There have also been many initiatives aimed at sending donations and aid to our country, as well as calls on the US government to eliminate the measures that limit Cuba's possibilities in the process of confronting and recovering from these tragic events.