Cuban Leader Prioritizes China Solidarity Over Addressing Holguín Explosion with 13 Missing

On Tuesday, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel extended his sympathies to the people and government of China for the victims of an earthquake in Tibet before commenting on a fire at a warehouse belonging to the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) in Holguín. This incident resulted in 13 missing individuals, including young men reportedly fulfilling their military service duties.

In an early morning tweet, Díaz-Canel, who also serves as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), stated, "We express our solidarity with the people, Party, and Government of China for the unfortunate loss of human lives and damage caused by the strong earthquake in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Our condolences to the families and friends of the victims."

It wasn't until midday—more than six hours after the first reports of explosions at the FAR arsenal—that Díaz-Canel publicly addressed the tragic events in Holguín, expressing his concern for the families of the 13 missing individuals. "We deeply regret the fire at a MINFAR warehouse in Melones, a district in Rafael Freyre, Holguín. Our thoughts are with the families of the 13 missing persons. Full attention is being given to the incident, and the causes are under investigation," stated the leader.

Outrage on Social Media

The sequence and manner in which the president addressed both incidents sparked a wave of criticism on social media. Cuban activist Miryorly García voiced the sentiments of many Cubans in a post: "What outrage! I can't remain silent about the shamelessness and lack of humanity of this government and Cuban media. It's psychopathic, so cold, so indifferent, it frightens. No one is safe; poor mothers who were 'informed,' how painful it is to know once again that our lives and those of our children do not matter to them."

García also criticized the treatment by official media, which limited information about the Holguín incident to vague numbers and names of the missing, while dedicating extensive coverage to Díaz-Canel's recent excursion to the Sierra Maestra, where he was filmed partaking in celebratory activities.

Government’s Priorities Questioned

This incident comes amid emergency and tragedy in Holguín, where numerous families are grappling with the news of their loved ones' disappearance and potential deaths. On Monday, Díaz-Canel participated in an orchestrated propaganda event, ascending to the Comandancia General de La Plata as part of the 'Con Fidel en las alturas' route. Less than 24 hours later, explosions were reported in Melones, just 200 kilometers from where the leader of the so-called "continuity" had been.

The fire at the Melones warehouse left 13 missing, reportedly including young soldiers fulfilling their military service, according to family and neighbor accounts on social media. However, authorities have not clarified the ages or circumstances surrounding the disaster, intensifying the affected families' distrust and grief.

Initially, official media reported that "aged munitions were being sorted at the military unit near Gibara," but this information was later removed from Cubadebate's website, only to be replicated by other state media like Tribuna de La Habana.

This incident adds to a series of recent accidents exposing failures in safety and governmental secrecy in emergency management, heightening the perception of neglect and insensitivity from the regime towards the Cuban population, similar to the Matanzas supertanker base fire or the deadly Saratoga hotel explosion in Havana.