Explosion in Havana, destroyed a hotel in the capital of Cuba. CNN reports. Survivors are sought in the rubble and according to state TV there are 4 dead and several injured.
According to witnesses, the explosion in Havana involved the Saratoga Hotel, the neoclassical-style luxury hotel located near the Martì Theater, opposite the Brotherhood Park. Buses and cars destroyed by the devastating explosion.
The main facade of the Saratoga Hotel is completely destroyed. Amateur videos shot by passersby show rubble and bodies everywhere. The explosion would be linked to an accident that occurred during the transfer of liquid gas. The government of Havana reports it. In the elementary school next to the destroyed building there are allegedly nine injured children. The Cuban government wrote on Facebook: “Strong explosion at the Saratoga Hotel, in old Havana. Probably while liquid gas was being poured from a truck”. “There is serious damage – continues the statement – and possible loss of life”.
The Saratoga Hotel had been closed to the public for two years due to Covid-related restrictions. In the meantime, renovations had been carried out. The opening of the new season was scheduled for Tuesday 10 May. This is what we read on the Instagram account of the luxury hotel located in the heart of Havana. The explosion, according to the Cuban government, would be linked to an accident that occurred during the transfer of liquid gas from a truck, parked in front of the hotel entrance.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel went to the scene and confirmed that the cause is not a bomb but appears to be a gas leak.