Four days after the tragic explosion in the Saratoga hotelIn Havana, “the priority” continues to be the search for the people who remain missing, as confirmed this afternoon by Colonel Luis Carlos Guzmán, head of the Cuban Fire Department.
“Currently, the task of rescue and salvage is prioritized as the only activity, and we have tried not to link this work with the others, such as the study of structures, the issue of the pool, for which there will be more time,” he said. the senior officer to the press gathered around the hotel.
“At this time the priority is the search for people, as it has been from the first moment,” he reiterated.
At the time of these statements, the official number of fatalities amounted to 42while three hotel workers had not yet been found in the rubble, while work continued at the disaster site.
“We can tell you that we have already had access to all the hotel premises, something that is very important for the task that is being carried out. At this time, the common premises continue to be deepened, a task that is being carried out jointly by the forces of the Fire Department, the Red Cross and other institutions,” Colonel Guzmán responded to a question from OnCuba.
“We are using the information of the workers who were in the hotel that day for our work. This information has been very useful to us, in addition to the canine technique, which has been kept working permanently, and other search methods in which we already have experience. For this we have specialized technical personnel, who are prepared and trained to undertake these tasks”, he detailed.
Asked about the possible duration of these tasks, the head of the Cuban Fire Department, pointed out that they do not have an estimate for its closure and that the work will continue until all the disappeared are found, whose families and relatives remain in the vicinity of the hotel. and have the attention of psychologists and other specialists.
“We really cannot give an estimate of how long the rescue work could take, because the main mission we have is to find the missing people. That is why we cannot say if it will still take a day, or two, or more. Our disposition, following the instructions that have been given to us, is to continue here as long as necessary, until we find all the people, and then the rest of the tasks will be undertaken, ”he commented.
“We would like it to be as fast as possible, to be able to give an answer to the families who are still waiting for news of their loved ones,” said Colonel Guzmán, “but we cannot violate the protocols or the security measures that must be followed, for wanting to rush into these tasks, which are being done under very difficult conditions.”
“Each place that we finish exploring, we certify with the certainty that there are no longer any victims there. We go in that order, complying with what is established for our work, ”he added.
The explosion that occurred at the Saratoga hotel, last Friday, May 6, has shocked Cuba and has prompted numerous messages of condolences and solidarity from many parts of the world. The cause of the accident was apparently an accidental gas leak, although investigations are still being carried out in this regard.
In addition to the deceased and missing, the explosion left nearly a hundred injured, and severe damage to both the Saratoga hotel and surrounding buildings.
