[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As the fire at a fuel storage facility in Cuba enters its fifth day, the country's power shortage is becoming even more severe. Although Cuban authorities have stated that they are controlling the fire area, the flames are still not completely extinguished.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian on the 9th (local time), the fire at the fuel storage facility on the coast of Matanzas, about 100 km east of Havana, the capital of Cuba, has continued for five days, with four fuel tanks reportedly engulfed in flames so far. Cuban President Miguel D?az-Canel announced on the fifth day of the fire that "the fire area has been controlled," but it has not yet been confirmed whether the flames have been fully extinguished.
The fire is believed to have started on the night of the 5th when lightning struck a fuel tank, and four of the eight fuel tanks caught fire consecutively and exploded, making it difficult to suppress the fire. So far, one firefighter has died, 16 are missing, and 125 have been injured. Among the injured, 19 are still hospitalized.
Cuban authorities have yet to accurately assess the property damage caused by the fire, while the country's power and fuel shortages are worsening. Earlier, Cuban power authorities announced that a power generation facility near the fire site had stopped operating due to water supply disruptions caused by the fire.
Amid chronic economic difficulties and already severe power shortages, the fuel tank fire has compounded the situation, leading to a shortage of electricity supply to major infrastructure. Currently, a rolling blackout of four hours per day has begun in Havana, and the scheduled carnival event has reportedly been canceled due to the power shortage.
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