MADRID, Spain. – As of this moment, the explosion at the Saratoga Hotel in Havana has left eight people dead.
According to information released via Twitter, the Office of the President, another 13 people are missing and some 30 more were hospitalized, including several children.
Havana Province Health Director, Emilio Delgado Iznaga, stated that the health system in Havana is totally mobilized. It also revealed that several citizens are donating blood.
Most of the injured were transferred to the Calixto García and the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospitals.
According to official information, search and rescue operations are still going on at the hotel, where people may still remain trapped.
The explosion at the Saratoga Hotel, which took place on the morning of May 6th, caused the partial collapse of the building’s exterior façade, along with four stories of the building. It also destroyed cars and buses parked along the perimeter of the hotel. The rest of the building faces the risk of collapsing.
Up to now, details about the causes of the explosion are not known, but authorities have mentioned the possibility of a gas leak.
The reopening of the hotel was scheduled for this May 19thafter it being closed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Developing news…
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