Father bids farewell to his son who died in the explosion in Holguín: “Tomorrow he would have turned 19.”

Lázaro Rojas, father of the soldier Brian Lázaro Rojas Long, one of the 13 fatalities resulting from the explosion of a munitions storage facility in the town of Melones, in the municipality of Rafael Freyre, Holguín, expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of his son, who would have turned 19 this January 16.

The emptiness, that pain of losing a child never goes away. Tomorrow he would have turned 19 (…) How much pain for me and the family,” the grieving father expressed on Facebook, following the announcement that the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) officially declared the missing individuals dead after the incident that occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, January 7.

My dear son, my piece of myself, may youRest in peace along with your companions who faced danger! I share my condolences with the family, friends, and community united in this loss,” stated Rojas.

The deceased teenager is one of nine soldiers, military recruits, who along with four officers from the Cuban army, two holding the rank of major and two others, second sergeants, were victims of the explosions caused by a fire at the military facility.

The 13 were trying to confront the fire, “with the aim of preventing its spread,” the authorities stated.

A total of 1,245 people were evacuated in Melones on January 7, as a preventive measure to ensure their safety, due to the multiple explosions that occurred at the military material warehouse.

Until this Wednesday, eight days after the accident, authorities maintain that it has been impossible to reach the location where the 13 missing individuals are, due to "the extreme complexity of the terrain caused by the explosions, the effects of the accumulated gases, and the severe damage incurred, as well as the real danger of collapses due to the structural impact on the site."

According to the statement released this Wednesday by MINFAR, the commission responsible for the investigation concluded that “the location of the accident is inaccessible and consequently there is no possibility of life at the site”.

The statement from the Cuban military high command also indicated that "it was determined that the possible cause that led to the incident is associated with an electrical failure caused by a short circuit within the facility."

The text stated that "the relatives were informed of the final outcome of the event."

Since last week, the government had remained silent regarding the incident, which generated outrage among the victims' families, who denounced negligence and a lack of interest in starting rescue efforts, as well as no information about the investigation.

The report prior to the statement issued this Wednesday was presented by Joel Queipo Ruíz, the first secretary of the Party in the province, who assured that the risk of further explosions prevented the authorities from entering the area of the military unit where the fire broke out, to begin the search for the 13 missing persons.

Although the official information from the regime has not specified it, numerous people on social media have claimed that the nine soldiers who were victims of the incident were young individuals who were serving in the Military Service, which is mandatory in Cuba.

This would mean the recurrence of the loss of innocent young lives in a tragedy, similar to what happened in the fire at the Supertanker Base in Matanzas in August 2022, when several young individuals serving as firefighters during their Military Service lost their lives.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Explosion at the Military Warehouse in Holguín