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A relative of one of the nine recruits who went missing after explosions at a military warehouse in Rafael Freyre, in the province of Holguín, criticized the Cuban authorities for not managing the crisis properly and for not "doing anything to save them." Many other relatives stated they agreed with his viewpoint.
"I find it difficult to write this because I have a nephew on that list of the missing, and I know how hard the situation is for all the families of those children, who we still hope to see return home today. But I feel that the right actions are not being taken; I believe those children are still alive, yet nothing is being done to save them," wrote the Facebook user identified as "Jesús Antonio" in the group Revolico Freyre.
"They are leaving them to the mercy of God, because we know they have not made the effort to search for them, and what hurts the most is that they had the courage to risk them all, but now none of them want to take the risk for those children whom they forced to do the dirty work that was not theirs, she added."
The internet user noted that they can imagine those children asking for help, and reiterated that "they haven't made even the slightest attempt to find them."
"All parents, close and distant relatives should come together and make it happen, to stop lying and do what they must do, which is to give their lives in an effort to save the unfortunate ones who were forced to be there." "I am 100% on board and I would give my life for my nephew and for all those who are there," he concluded.
In the comments section, dozens of internet users agreed with him, including relatives of other missing individuals.
“Brother, I also have a cousin missing there, and I hope he and everyone else are alive. And yes, you are absolutely right, they have done nothing, just told lies on the news. The only thing they tell the families is to stay calm,” wrote Luis Manuel Driggs.
“ My nephew is there as well. The specialized rescue and salvage team for these cases needs to be activated and enter. If they are alive in that tunnel, the more time passes, the less time they have left. Immediate actions are needed, not for tomorrow,” pointed out Yenisell Radoiu.
“My cousin is among the missing. There is no comfort now or will there ever be. They are there against their will, because they were forced. Enough with the lies. We don’t want more lies and now no one is willing to risk searching for them. They leave them to fate, whether alive or dead. What does it matter to them if it’s not their pain?” wrote Yusmari Roja.
"I also have my cousin there, among the missing, and they are not doing anything to get them out. How could they enter and now no one can go for them? I am available if they need volunteers," said Leandro Pérez Alberteriz.
"I'm joining too. Together we can do it. I have my husband's cousin there and the family hasn't gotten any answers. Only we know the immense pain this has caused," pointed out Arianna Suárez Gómez.
"I agree. My cousin is there, and I sense that they are alive. They are being left to die because there is no courage to send those shameless individuals who forced them to go in there. There are no words to explain the pain of each family member. We are desperate," Taily Díaz declared.
Other internet users lamented that the official press has practically silenced the issue of the missing individuals from the explosion, and that the focus of the news is taken up by the wrongly named "Caravana de la Victoria."
Complicated situation in the ground zero of the explosions
The situation at the military ammunition depot located in Melones, in the Holguín municipality of Rafael Freyre, remains critical, as explosions have continued to occur, complicating access to ground zero and the search for the missing.
This was indicated this Wednesday by the official communicator, Lisandra Martín. According to Martín—who noted an update time of 8:00 p.m. this Wednesday—the most recent explosion at that point had occurred at 3 p.m. on January 8. She specified that the temperature, based on the thermoradiographic readings at that time, exceeded 300 degrees.
Meanwhile, a report from the Television News and a article from Granma focused almost exclusively on the progress of evacuations of residents in the area, but omitted any mention of the missing, as well as the developments in efforts to access the ground zero of the tragedy.
The MINFAR continues to provide no clues about the progress of the rescue efforts for potential victims.
The missing "soldiers" are Leinier Jorge Sánchez Franco; Frank Antonio Hidalgo Almaguer; Liander José García Oliva; Yunior Hernández Rojas; Rayme Rojas Rojas; Carlos Alejandro Acosta Silva; Brian Lázaro Rojas Long; José Carlos Guerrero García; and Héctor Adrián Batista Zayas.
The missing military personnel are Major Leonar Palma Matos and Carlos Carreño del Rio, and Second Non-Commissioned Officers Orlebanis Tamé Torres and Yoennis Pérez Durán.
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