Deaths from Santiago Gas Station Fire Reach Six

HAVANA TIMES — Six out of the 32 people injured last week in a fire at a gas station in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba have died, reports the EFE news agency.

Seventeen people remain hospitalized, including five in “extremely critical” condition, three in “critical condition” and three others in “very serious condition.”

Most of the deaths of the burn victims occurred “due to widespread infection that was impossible to combat,” according to a report in the Sierra Maestra newspaper this weekend.

The incident took place on August 28 when a truck crashed into one of the gas pumps. The impact caused a fuel spill that was then ignited by a spark, causing fire to spread.