During the day, people defied the intense heat and later the heavy rain to the city’s Firefighters Museum to pay their respect and gratitude to those who died in the line of duty during the fight against the fire that started last August 5 in Matanzas Industrial Zone.

Army General Raul Castro and President Miguel Diaz-Canel led the last guard of honor to the 14 firefighters before a funeral procession to the local cemetery for a private burial ceremony.

The fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Base left 16 dead, more than 140 injured and caused considerable damage to the infrastructure of the industrial facility and surrounding communities.

Forensic experts found 14 groupings of remains but were unable to identify the bodies because the high temperatures destroyed the sources of evidence: teeth, fingerprints and DNA.

Vice President Salvador Valdes, the Secretary of Organization of the Communist Party Roberto Morales, National Assembly Speaker Esteban Lazo and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero also attended the funeral homage.

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