13 military personnel go missing after ammunition warehouse explosion in Cuba
The incident occurred in Holguin province, located in the eastern part of the island.
Two Cuban military personnel walk in service uniform.
Thirteen members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (FAR) are "missing" after the explosion that took place on Tuesday in a weapons and ammunition warehouse in the eastern part of the island, the military institution reported.
"As a result of the explosions in a weapons and ammunition warehouse in the Melones community (...), in the province of Holguin,” 450 miles east of Havana, "two officers, two non-commissioned officers and nine soldiers are missing," according to a statement from the Ministry of the Armed Forces broadcast by Cuban television.
The release specified that "investigations continue at the scene of the incident," which forced more than 1,200 people to evacuate near the military unit warehouse, where "aged ammunition was being classified.”
In the morning, local media reported that the explosion was caused "by a fire (...) in a construction site with war material,” and that they were trying to "determine the state" of "the personnel who initially confronted the event, as well as the damage to the patrimony.”
Neither the official press nor Cuban television has released images of the military unit explosions. However, independent media outlets shared photographs online, showing smoke and police officers deployed to Melones.
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