HAVANA – The death toll from a powerful explosion at a five-star hotel in central Havana climbed to 18 yesterday with more than 50 people injured after a suspected gas leak, according to new official tallies.
Rescuers combed through what remained of the prestigious Saratoga Hotel looking for survivors as ambulances ferried the injured to hospital and paramedics treated those with less severe ailments on the spot.
“Unfortunately 18 have died,” Julio Guerra, head of the Health Ministry’s hospital services said during a press conference, upping the toll from nine earlier in the day.
Both the ministry and the Cuban presidency said that dozens had been injured in the blast but cited different numbers in the range of approximately 50 to 65 people.
The first four floors of the establishment, which was empty of guests while being renovated, were gutted in the late-morning blast that sent a cloud of dust and smoke billowing into the air.
“Search and rescue work continues in the hotel, where it is possible that other people are trapped,” Havana Communist Party official Luis Antonio Torres Iribar said, with several people reported missing.
The blast tore off large parts of the facade, blew out windows and destroyed cars parked outside the hotel, which is known for having hosted celebrities such as Madonna, Beyonce, Mick Jagger, and Rihanna.
The dome of a nearby Baptist church also collapsed.
Inside the hotel at the time were employees preparing for its post-refurbishment reopening, scheduled for next Tuesday.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the site of the explosion and victims in the hospital.
Miguel Hernan Estevez, director of the hospital Hermanos Almejeiras, said a two-year-old boy had undergone surgery for a fractured skull.
“So far we have no information that any foreigner was either injured or killed, but...this is preliminary information,” added Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Garcia Granda. – AFP, May 7, 2022
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