State television reported on Saturday the new balance after the powerful explosion that partially destroyed the luxury hotel, which was being refurbished and was due to reopen on May 10.
The previous report from Friday night referred to 22 dead and more than 50 injured in the explosion, probably due to a gas leak.
The Saratoga, located very close to the famous Capitol, seat of the National Assembly, is an emblem of Old Havana with a recognizable green facade and the image of a celebrity hotel, as it has hosted Mick Jagger, Beyoncé and Madonna, among others.
The building was on display starkly gutted, with the first four floors destroyed by the blast.
After the removal of much of the surrounding rubble, the search was now focused on the interior of the building, in particular in the entrance hall, as well as on the fifth and sixth floors, AFP found.
Canine brigades and rescue teams carrying tools to detect possible survivors were also trying to access the basement, from where a woman had called for help on Friday afternoon.
“Solidarity”
“It is very unfortunate what happened, the destruction, especially the loss of life, and also the injured people, but once again I want to highlight the speed with which the population and the institutions were mobilized,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel tweeted. .
“Solidarity has prevailed. #FuerzaCuba,” he added, referring to the many Cubans who rushed Friday to donate blood to help the wounded.
Residents of neighboring houses damaged by the blast were evacuated to shelters as a precaution, the television said.
Built in 1880 to house shops, the neoclassical building was transformed into a hotel in 1933 and a luxury establishment in 2005, with 96 rooms, two restaurants and a rooftop pool.
Under renovations, the Saratoga had been closed to tourists for two years due to the pandemic, so when the deflagration occurred at 11:00 on Friday (15:00 GMT), only workers were inside finalizing the details for reopening next week .
“It was not a bomb or an attack, it was an unfortunate accident,” Díaz-Canel said on Friday in front of the mountain of rubble, seeking to put an end to rumors on social networks that evoked the attacks on several hotels in the 1990s. , commissioned by Cuban exiles.
On Friday, the United States, Canada, the European Union and Venezuela in particular expressed their condolences to the Cuban authorities.
“Our thanks to governments, organizations, friends and those from various parts of the world who have expressed, in this time of affliction, their solidarity with our people and the families of the victims of the tragic accident that occurred at the #HotelSaratoga,” tweeted Saturday the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez.
