“Faced with the tragic fire in a crude oil storage tank in Matanzas, Cuba, I express my solidarity with the victims and express the EU’s support for the Cuban people in these difficult times,” Borrell tweeted.

Other figures in European politics expressed their support for Cuba through Twitter.

Spanish MEP Manu Pineda expressed his support for the firefighters and health workers who face the consequences of the accident and described them as true heroes.

He also highlighted the Cuban government’s response to the disaster, noting: “always on the front line, to the government and to the whole of the Cuban people. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR EXAMPLE.”

Pineda reiterated his solidarity with Cuba and his confidence that it will overcome this new challenge with its demonstrated courage.

For her part, Maite Mola, vice president of the Party of the European Left, joined the messages of support for Cuba and recalled that the fire in Matanzas affects a people besieged by a criminal blockade.

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