A Spanish tourist has died in the explosion recorded this Friday at the luxury hotel Saratoga in Havana, while another tourist of the same nationality has been seriously injured, sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have assured Efe. At least 22 people have died and another 64 have been injured, some extremely seriously, in a very strong explosion due to a gas leak.
Inside the hotel there was only a team of employees, who were working on setting up the property for its reopening on May 10, after being closed for two years due to the pandemic. The two Spanish tourists were outside the hotel when the shock wave hit them.
At the moment the identity of the Spaniards affected by the explosion has not been provided. What is known is that the man is admitted in a very serious condition to a hospital in the Cuban capital, where he has undergone surgery, according to the aforementioned sources. The Spanish Embassy, in permanent contact with the local authorities, has already informed the relatives of both affected Spaniards of the news.
The Presidency of Cuba reported on Twitter that among the deceased there is a minor and a pregnant woman, and that among the injured there are 14 minors (three critical and two serious). These figures are not definitive and could rise in the next few hours, as work progresses to remove debris from the Saratoga hotel, emblematic of Havana’s historic center.
Miguel Díaz-Canel stressed that it was an “unfortunate accident” and ruled out that it was a bomb or an attack. He added that preliminary investigations point to a gas leak.
He indicated that an investigation commission has been launched and also a plan to care for the families of the victims and the residents of the 17 residential buildings that have been affected by the explosion.
The state tourist group Gaviota, owner of the Saratoga hotel, explained that the establishment was not open to the public
The state tourism group Gaviota, owner of the Saratoga hotel, explained that the establishment was not open to the public, but that it was scheduled to reopen on May 10, after two years closed due to the pandemic.
The building, however, was not empty. Inside was a team of employees, who were working on the set-up of the property, and a group of managers, who were participating in a meeting.
The Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, assured that there are no foreigners among the injured. No details have been released about the deceased at this time.
The event occurred around 10:50 this Friday morning, when a liquefied gas tanker truck was serving a hotel deposit. The most likely thesis is that the explosion was due to a crack in the truck’s hose.
The explosion caused a section of the building -seven stories high- to collapse and the facade of the first three floors to come off, causing a rain of tons of rubble on a normally busy sidewalk. The tanker truck was partially buried.
The explosion also caused a large column of smoke, which was visible in much of the capital. Firefighters, police officers and emergency teams quickly rushed to the scene of the events, taking those affected to several nearby hospitals. A group of specialists then began to clear the area in search of possible victims trapped in the building, tasks that lasted until night.
At the same time, the damaged tanker truck, which still had highly flammable liquefied gas inside, was lifted with a crane and with great precautions, and it was deposited in a large truck for its transfer.
In the next few days, a technical inspection of the building will have to be carried out to decide if it can be restored or if the structural damage warrants its demolition.
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, lamented this Saturday the deaths caused by the explosion. In a message that he published on his personal account on the social network Twitter, Sánchez conveys his affection to the families of all the victims and injured, as well as the support of the Spanish Government to the Cuban people.
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