China provides assistance to Cuba after massive oil depot fire

HAVANA, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A delivery ceremony for a Chinese Red Cross Society donation worth 150,000 U.S. dollars to its Cuban counterpart was held here Monday.

The donation is aimed at supporting the Caribbean nation to carry out rescue and restoration work after an oil depot fire incident in the western city of Matanzas.

In a speech delivered at the ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment in Havana, Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Ma Hui said, "China and Cuba are sister nations. The Chinese government and people share the same feelings of pain for the massive fire."

Meanwhile, Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Deborah Rivas said that China's assistance is a demonstration of China's solidarity with the Caribbean nation.

On Aug. 5, a tank at the fuel farm near the port of Matanzas was engulfed in a huge blaze following a lightning strike. The fire reached a second tank one day after and triggered a series of explosions. The massive fire has been extinguished.

Susana Llovet, deputy director of the Cuban Red Cross, thanked its Chinese counterpart for the donation. "China has always been by our side and will continue to be (so)," she said.

So far, at least two people have been confirmed dead due to the fire, 132 have been treated in health facilities and 14 others are still missing.