Two workers died and two others were injured when they fell into a chimney during maintenance work at a thermoelectric plant in Madanzas province in western Cuba, officials said.
According to official media, the incident occurred on Friday afternoon when at least seven meters of an internal wall collapsed into a chimney, trapping workers under rubble and soot at the Antonio Guiteras power plant, 150 kilometers east of Havana.
Initially, two injured people were rescued, but not seriously; Later the lifeless body of a third party was found and finally the body of another worker was recovered on Saturday afternoon.
Officials said it was necessary to open a hole in the outside of the chimney to continue rescue operations. Rescue workers and firefighters cleared tons of soot and debris from the site on Saturday.
Central director Misbel Palmero said teams were brought in to clear debris from the Hotel Saratoga in Havana, which exploded in May last year with more than 40 deaths.
The official explained, breaking through the outer wall of the chimney to retrieve – specifically the body of the worker who had been missing for almost 24 hours – without damaging the rest of the structure.
It is not known why the inner wall of the chimney collapsed.
The Antonio Guiteras power plant is one of the most important in the country in terms of electricity generation, which is considered the most sensitive at this time in Cuba due to power cuts affecting both the island’s population and production.
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