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The state-owned company Cuba Petróleo (CUPET) has provided an official update regarding the accident that occurred on October 20 on the Vía Blanca, where a tanker truck belonging to the company TRANSCUPET overturned.
The incident caused a spill of over 31 thousand liters of crude oil in an area near the detour to Puerto Escondido, in the province of Mayabeque.
According to CUPET in a statement issued this Tuesday through its official channels, the driver of the vehicle was discharged from the hospital on the night of the same Monday, after being evaluated at a hospital in Santa Cruz del Norte, where serious injuries were ruled out.
The driver was injured after losing control of the vehicle while merging onto a secondary road that leads to the coastal town.
Sanitation and recovery works
Specialized technical teams proceeded early Tuesday morning to clean up the area affected by the oil spill.
Additionally, the fuel that was still in the overturned tank was extracted in an effort to reduce the risk of contamination and further spills.
The following morning, the damaged vehicle was removed using crane equipment, and additional cleaning work was carried out.
CUPET also confirmed that, after reviewing the truck's GPS, it was verified that the speed at the time of the incident was approximately 30 km/h, which contrasts with some initial reports that suggested possible speeding as the cause of the incident.
Ongoing investigations
Authorities from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) and specialists from the oil company arrived at the accident site from the very beginning to assess the extent of the spill and begin the investigation into the causes.
So far, CUPET has not provided any new details regarding whether the incident was caused by a technical failure, human error, or external conditions such as the state of the track.
What has been confirmed is that the case is under joint investigation, and that recovery and mitigation efforts continue actively.
No official data has been released regarding the environmental impact of the spill, nor about the economic losses resulting from the incident.
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