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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 9 augusT 2022
Fire at Cuba oil facility spreads as 3rd tank ignites

HAVANA (AP) — A deadly cloud contains sulfur diox-
fire that began at a large ide, nitrogen oxide, carbon
oil storage facility in west- monoxide and other poi-
ern Cuba spread Monday sonous substances.
after flames enveloped a The majority of those injured
third tank that firefighters were treated for burns and
had tried to cool as they smoke inhalation, and five
struggle to fight the mas- of them remain in critical
sive blaze. condition.
At least one person has A total of 24 remain hos-
died and 125 are injured, pitalized. Over the week-
with dozens of firefighters end, authorities found the
reported missing ever since body of one firefighter as
lighting struck one of the relatives of those still miss-
facility’s eight tanks on Fri- ing gathered at a hotel
day night. A second tank to await news about their
caught fire on Saturday, loved ones.
triggering several explo- Sabines and Cuban Presi-
sions at the facility, which dent Miguel Díaz-Canel
plays a key part in Cuba’s Firefighters move in a truck inside the Matanzas supertanker base to douse a fire that started said it was impossible to
electric system. during a thunderstorm, in Matanzas, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022 Associated Press search for the missing fire-

“The risk we had an- fighters given the roiling
nounced happened, and Firefighters had sprayed extinguish the fire, with wa- use face masks or stay in- temperatures.
the blaze of the second water on the remaining ter cannons, planes and doors given the billowing The blaze at the Matanzas
tank compromised the tanks over the weekend to helicopters fighting the fire smoke enveloping the re- Supertanker Base in Matan-
third one,” said Mario Sabi- cool them and try to stop from several directions as gion that can be seen from zas city prompted officials
nes, governor of the west- the fire from spreading. military constructions spe- the capital of Havana, lo- to evacuate more than
ern province of Matanzas The governments of Mex- cialists erected barriers to cated more than 65 miles 4,900 people, most of them
where the facility is locat- ico and Venezuela have contain oil spills. Local of- (100 kilometers) away. Offi- from the nearby Dubrocq
ed. sent special teams to help ficials warned residents to cials have warned that the neighborhood. q

Blinken says U.S. is “equal partner” with African countries

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME the region’s complex- don’t work together, as and students responded ration of U.S. intentions to-
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — ity, its diversity, its agency; equal partners.” warmly to Blinken’s speech, ward sub-Saharan
The United States sees Af- and one that focuses on South African academics which was a broad decla- Africa. q
rica’s 54 nations as “equal what we will do with Afri-
partners” in tackling global can nations and peoples,
problems, U.S. Secretary of not for African nations and
State Antony Blinken said in peoples,” he said. Blinken
South Africa Monday. said that the United States
“Our strategy is rooted in and African nations “can’t
the recognition that sub- achieve any of our shared
Saharan Africa is a major priorities whether that’s
geopolitical force one recovering from the pan-
that has shaped our past, demic; creating broad-
is shaping our present, and based economic oppor-
will shape our future,” Blink- tunities; addressing the
en said at the University of climate crisis; expanding
Pretoria in a speech detail- energy access; revitalizing
ing the Biden administra- democracies; or strength-
tion’s policies for Africa. ening the free and open
“It’s a strategy that reflects international order if we

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by South Africa’s
Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor as he arrives for a meeting at
the South African Department of International Relations and
Cooperation in Pretoria, South Africa, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.
Associated Press