Matanzas fire: Mexican aid arrives in Cuba to put out large fire

MATANZAS, Cuba, Aug 7 (ACN) A Boing 737-700 of the Mexican Air Force arrived Sauturday night at the Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport, on the outskirts of this city, with 62 military personnel and 16 oil technicians.

Brigadier General Juan Bravo Velázquez, said that he is leading the battalion at the express instruction of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of Mexico, to support in the work to extinguish the large-scale fire, still uncontrolled, at the supertanker base.

We will work on risk prevention and will help to put out the fire with water and foam, we have chemical equipment and we will do everything we can," he said.

Miguel Díaz Reynoso, Mexico's ambassador to Cuba, informed that this is the first of three more planes that will bring equipment and material necessary to deal with the fire.

Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, Minister of Transportation, and Cuban military, political and government authorities, arrived in the airport ramp, where they expressed their gratitude for the gesture of solidarity of the brotherly people and government of Mexico, and highlighted the bonds of friendship that unite the two countries.

Since Friday night when lightning struck tank 52 of the supertanker base in the industrial zone of the city, firefighting forces have been fighting a fire of great proportions that has already caused an explosion in a second tank and threatens to spread.