Firefighters and rescuers continue this Thursday the search for a woman reported missing after the explosion that occurred on May 6 in the Saratoga hotelin Havana, which has already left more than 40 fatalities.
As a result of the accidentPresumably caused by a gas leak occurred while a tanker truck was supplying the tourist facility–, 98 affected people are registered, including 44 deceased, according to the most recent update of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) of Cuba.
The official report indicates that so far 38 people who were injured in the event have been discharged to continue the recovery process at home.
|Updated information on the status of those injured in the accident of the #HotelSaratoga|
So far 98 people have been injured, of which 16 are hospitalized, 38 patients have been discharged and 44 have died.
?https://t.co/iIPlU25KAK pic.twitter.com/f1Bl8LZOzY
— Cuban Ministry of Public Health (@MINSAPCuba) May 12, 2022
In addition, the MINSAP reports that of the 12 adults who remain hospitalized in Havana hospitals, four are in critical condition and one is reported as serious, while of the four minors still hospitalized, two remain critical and one is serious.
According to Colonel Luis Carlos Guzmán, national chief of the Cuban Fire Department, the rescue work took place throughout the early hours of the morning and will continue as a priority until the body of the girl, a waitress at the hotel facility, is found, the last person who remains to be found reports the agency Latin Press (PL).
In this effort, rescuers and the canine brigade rely on information provided by Saratoga workers about the possible location of the victim, adds the media.
Guzmán confirmed that 90% of the premises of the building suffered severe damage, and its structure has little support in several places, so extreme measures are taken to prevent it from collapsing, and the search area is expanded.
For his part, the mayor of Old Havana, Alexis Acosta, explained that the hotel area is still being combed and the area of the Baptist Church, adjacent to the building, is also being analyzed.
“After the victim is recovered, we will move on to other priority tasks of property recovery, for which a schedule was established,” explained the public official, quoted by the agency.
So far, the official causes of the explosion have not been publicly revealed, which the authorities classify as an accident, and according to reports, the investigations are ongoing. Nor has it been confirmed what will happen to the hotel, which will depend on the analysis of the effects on its structure, which will be completed when the search work is completed.
