Cuban firefighters are struggling to put out the fire at an oil depot.
This Tuesday, they were trying to prevent the fire from spreading further and were preparing to spread fire extinguishing foam in huge quantities.
They have already consumed four of their eight tanks.
From dawn, four helicopters circled to drop water in the middle of the burning oil to open a path for firefighters on the ground, noted an AFP journalist.
“Breaking a path past the flames”
“Fire crews continue to make their way past the flames so that the brigades in charge of spreading the foam can move forward,” explained the governor of Matanzas, Mario Sabines, on his Twitter account.
The thick black smoke released limits the visibility of pilots who are assisted by drones, he said.
"About 40 trucks carrying the dry materials are ready to contain the flames," added the governor.
Some 17 planes in total, 13 from Mexico and four from Venezuela, carrying oil firefighting specialists and firefighting foam landed at the resort town of Varadero, 40 kilometers northeast of Matanzas.
On Tuesday, a Mexican army logistics support ship arrived in Matanzas Bay.
Mexico sent nearly 45,000 liters of fire extinguishing foam, 171 rolls of hoses, ten helio buses, repellents, two foam spray pumps and 300 kg of medicine.
Washington's aid
Washington, after expressing condolences as early as Saturday, “offered technical assistance, which we also appreciated and accepted.
The two governments are in regular contact.
No need to speculate,” Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossio tweeted, referring to posts on social media complaining that Havana is not accepting US aid.
On Monday, efforts were concentrated to avoid "the spread of fire" at a "terminal where the tanks of clear products are located", said Alexander Avalos Jorge, deputy chief of firefighters of Cuba, during a press conference.
Gasoline and other light fuels even more flammable than crude oil and fuel oil were in the four burnt tanks.
"The four tanks" of 50 million liters each "were engulfed in flames", he said, "it was a chain reaction".
One dead and 14 missing
According to a latest report, a firefighter died and 14 others are missing, 22 people are still hospitalized, including five in critical condition.
Of the 125 people received in hospitals in Matanzas Havana, 103 have been discharged.
The disaster began Friday evening when lightning struck a tank at the depot located in Matanzas, 100 km east of Havana, which contained 26,000 cubic meters of crude oil, or about 50% of its maximum capacity.
Explosions and flames several dozen meters high then spread the fire to the three other tanks containing up to 52 million liters of fuel oil or crude oil.
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