UEMS / Ammunition Depot event in Cuba on Tue 7th January 2025

Thirteen Cuban soldiers and officers are reported missing after explosions in an arms and ammunition depot in Melones, a town in the eastern province of Holguín, the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces said in a statement late Tuesday.

Among the missing are two mayors, two warrant officers and nine soldiers.

On Wednesday morning, Cuba’s leader, Miguel Díaz-Canel, said on X he “deeply” regretted the incident, which is under investigation. “We stand in solidarity and accompany the families of the 13 missing people,” he added. Initially, the armed forces reported explosions caused by a fire early Tuesday morning in a “site with war materiel” in Melones.

At the time, it said there was “no danger to the community.” In the afternoon, the armed forces said 361 residents had been evacuated. It also reported efforts to determine what happened to “the personnel that first responded to the event.” Videos published on social media suggest there was more than one explosion.

A video shows some alarmed residents trying to get cover after what seemed to be another explosion rocked the rural community of Melones on Tuesday, sending a plume of smoke into the air.