Thirteen Cuban soldiers were killed after an explosion at an ammunition depot, the government said

The Cuban government said on Wednesday that 13 soldiers were killed after an explosion last week at a weapons depot in the east of the country.

The Cuban Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Wednesday that “it has been officially announced that 13 comrades have died.”

This explosion, which the Department said may have been the cause of a circuit breaker and power outage, occurred on Tuesday last week in Melones, an area about 450 kilometers east of the capital, Havana. It led to the evacuation of more than 1,200 residents from the area.

Cuban military officials said access to the area remains impossible due to difficult terrain, toxic gases and extensive structural damage.

“It is very painful to confirm the death of officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers who faced an accident while in a building that stored military equipment in the military base in Holguín,” said Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez in a statement on social media. . “They died bravely and as heroes they deserve the utmost respect and friendship from their loved ones in the pain of loss.

The government named all 13 soldiers on social media on Wednesday.

13 soldiers were reported missing, Reuters reported, while officials earlier said the explosion rocked the construction site.