World
Firefighters battle big blaze at Cuba tank farm for 2nd day
HAVANA (AP) — Cuban firefighters have been joined by particular groups despatched by Mexico and Venezuela on Sunday as they battled for a second day to manage a hearth blazing at a giant oil tank farm within the western province of Matanzas.
The blaze started Friday evening when lightning struck a storage tank throughout a thunder storm, and the fireplace unfold to a second tank early Saturday, triggering a collection of explosions, officers have stated.
Authorities stated Sunday {that a} physique discovered on the web site had been recognized as firefighter Juan Carlos Santana, 60. Officers beforehand stated a bunch of 17 firefighters had gone lacking whereas making an attempt to quell flames, however there was no phrase if he was a type of.
A complete of 122 folks had been handled for accidents, together with 5 in crucial situation, officers stated.
Provincial Gov. Mario Sabines stated Sunday that 4,946 folks had been evacuated, principally from the Dubrocq neighborhood, which is subsequent to the Matanzas Supertanker Base in Matanzas metropolis. The power’s eight large storage tanks maintain oil used to gas electrical energy technology.
Dense black smoke billowed up from the tank farm and unfold westward greater than 100 kilometers (62 miles) to Havana. The Ministry of Science and Expertise stated Sunday that the cloud contained sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and different poisonous substances.
The catastrophe comes as Cuba struggles with a extreme financial and vitality disaster, with frequent energy blackouts hitting throughout a torrid summer time. It was unknown how a lot gas had been misplaced to the flames.
Cuba’s authorities had appealed for assist Saturday from oil nations, and specialised firefighting groups started arriving with their tools from Mexico and Venezuela late Saturday.
“The assist (is) within the prevention of dangers and likewise assist to quell the fireplace via cooling primarily based on water and foam,” Mexican Brig. Gen. Juan Bravo stated upon arrival. “We hope that extra assist will arrive quickly, corresponding to chemical materials.”
Deputy International Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío stated Saturday night that the U.S. authorities had provided technical assist. On his Twitter account, he stated the “proposal is within the fingers of specialists for the due coordination.”
Minutes later, President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked Mexico , Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile for his or her presents of assist.
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Andrea Rodríguez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP
World
Ukraine has captured 2 North Korean soldiers, South Korea's intelligence service says
Ukraine captured two wounded North Korean soldiers who were fighting on behalf of Russia in a Russian border region, South Korea’s intelligence service said, confirming an account from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.
Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told AFP it has “confirmed that the Ukrainian military captured two North Korean soldiers on January 9 in the Kursk battlefield in Russia.”
The confirmation comes after Zelenskyy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that the two captured North Korean soldiers were wounded and taken to Kyiv, where they are communicating with Ukrainian security services SBU.
SBU released video that appears to show the two prisoners on beds inside jail cells. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.
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A doctor interviewed in the SBU video said one soldier suffered a facial wound while the other soldier had an open wound and a lower leg fracture. Both men were receiving medical treatment.
SBU also said one of the soldiers had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
Ukraine’s military says North Korean soldiers are outfitted in Russian military uniforms and carry fake military IDs in their pockets, a scheme that Andrii Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, says could mean Moscow and “its representatives at the U.N. can deny the facts.”
Despite Ukrainian, U.S. and South Korean assertions that Pyongyang has sent 10,000 – 12,000 troops to fight alongside Russia in the Kursk border region, Moscow has never publicly acknowledged the North Korean forces.
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While reports of their presence first emerged in October, Ukrainian troops only confirmed engagement on the ground in December.
On Thursday, Zelenskyy put the number of killed or wounded North Koreans at 4,000, though U.S. estimates are lower, at around 1,200.
Despite North Korea’s suffering losses and initial inexperience on the battlefield, Ukrainian soldiers, military intelligence and experts suggest first-hand experience will only help them develop further as a fighting force.
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“For the first time in decades, the North Korean army is gaining real military experience,” Yusov said. “This is a global challenge — not just for Ukraine and Europe, but for the entire world.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Three people killed in an avalanche in Italy's Leopontine Alps
A group of five skiers was hit by the avalanche above the village of Trasquera in the Piedmont region. Two survived and were helicoptered to hospital.
The avalanche broke away around 12.30pm on the eastern face of Punta Valgrande, a summit in the Leopontine Alps, on the border between Italy and Switzerland.
The skiers who died were dragged down the snowy mountain for several hundred metres from where they had been skiing at over 2,800 metres. The bodies have not yet been recovered because they are awaiting authorisation from the local magistrate.
An alert had been issued in the area above 2,100 metres, which warned of “considerable danger of avalanches.” The alert was at level 3, with 5 being the most dangerous.
It is not yet clear whether the rescuers were alerted by a skier who saw the avalanche sweeping away three people, or by the other two people who managed to save themselves. According to reports, the group was going uphill with crampons and then descending with skis.
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