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Cuban Red Cross Society thanked its Chinese counterpart for a 150-thousand dollar donation to help face the consequences of a massive fire that affected a supertankers oil depot in the western province of Matanzas earlier this month.
During the donation hand-in ceremony at the Foreign Trade Ministry, China’s ambassador to Havana Ma Hui acknowledged the heroism of Cuba’s people, government and communist Party and their leaders in facing the accident.
I attended the handover event on the donation of USD 150,000 from #China Red Cross Society to #Cuba @MINCEX_CUBA along with Vice Minister @Deb_invexCuba and Vice Chair Susana Llovet Alcalde of Cuban Red Cross Society. 🇨🇳🇨🇺 @EmbChinaCuba pic.twitter.com/x7aAy46ZlA
— MA Hui 马 辉 (@MahuiChina) August 15, 2022
Ambassador Ma Hui said that Cuba and China are sister nations and partners who support each other in the good and the bad circumstances, such as the Matanzas fire which claimed human lives and inflicted material damage.
Susana Llovet, Vice-Director of the Cuban Red Cross expressed her gratitude for the supportive gesture of the Chinese Red Cross, on behalf of over 47 thousand volunteers involved in the humanitarian organization.
Llovet recalled that the Chinese Red Cross cooperated with Cuba amidst the spread of COVID-19 providing medications, intensive care unit beds and lung ventilators to support the Cuban health system.
Since the fire began affecting the Cuban region, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his deepest condolences on behalf of the Chinese people and government to the relatives of the injured and he ratified his willingness to support Cuba, said Deborah Rivas, Cuban deputy Foreign Trade minister.
A lightning strike last August 5 caused a massive fire at the Matanzas oil depot; five days later the fire was controlled and later extinguished as rescue and legal medicine experts try to find the mortal remains of people who were reported as missing during the fire.
