Russia sends two more aid planes to hurricane-stricken Cuba

Russia sends two more aid planes to hurricane-stricken Cuba (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - September 5, 2008: Russia sent two more aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to hurricane-stricken Cuba on Friday, a Russian emergencies service spokesperson said. "The first Il-76 cargo aircraft took off at 10:40 a.m. Moscow time [06:40 GMT], and the second one at around 11:00 a.m. Moscow time [07:00 GMT]. They will deliver around 60 metric tons of humanitarian cargo," the spokesperson said. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the emergencies service to send four aircraft to Cuba to deliver tents for 5,000 people, construction materials, and food in the wake of Hurricane Gustav. The first two cargo aircraft arrived in Cuba on Thursday. Hurricane Gustav swept through Cuba last Saturday with winds reaching 300 km p/h (186 mph) as it hit the Isla de la Juventud, to the south of the Cuban mainland. The storm later swept through the province of Pinar del Rio on the country's western tip, damaging around 86,000 houses and leaving much of the region without power. No hurricane-related fatalities have been reported in Cuba, although Gustav took some 120 lives in other Caribbean islands, including Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. Tropical Storm Hanna has also killed at least 150 people in Haiti since Tuesday.