Published: 13:39, January 16, 2025
Cuba declares 13 soldiers dead after blast at military warehouse
By Xinhua
This handout picture posted on the X account (formerly known as Twitter) of Miguel Diaz-Canel, president of Cuba, on Jan 8, 2025, shows part of the fire caused by the explosion at an arms depot in the Military Unit of Melones, Rafael Freire municipality, Holguin province, 730 km east of Havana. (PHOTO / AFP)

HAVANA - Thirteen soldiers have died in a fire and ensuing explosion at a military warehouse in the eastern province of Holguin over a week ago, Cuba's Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Minfar) said Wednesday.

Investigations and analyses conducted by specialists showed that there is no possibility of survival at the site, which is located in the community of Melones in the municipality of Rafael Freyre, according to a Minfar statement.

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"After several days of intensive work, it was determined that the probable cause of the incident is linked to an electrical failure caused by a short circuit inside the facility," it said.

The statement said that access to the site remains impossible due to the extremely complex terrain, the accumulation of toxic gases, severe structural damage, and the risk of collapses.