A large explosion occurred in a hotel under construction in central Havana, Cuba, killing at least 18 people and injuring 74 on Friday, May 6. A lighter initial assessment had been communicated by President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who presented his “deepest condolences” to the relatives of the victims
A little earlier, Miguel Garcia, the director of the Calixto Garcia hospital where some of the injured are treated, had reported that eleven injured were “in extremely serious condition”. “A two-year-old child is undergoing surgery for a fractured skull”said Miguel Hernan Estévez, director of the Hermanos Almejeiras hospital.
A possible gas leak
For his part, the first secretary of the Communist Party in Havana, Luis Antonio Torres Iribar, had specified at midday that “thirteen people [étaient] missing” and warned: “search and rescue work continues in the hotel, where it is possible that other people are trapped” under the rubble. No foreigners are believed to be among the victims, authorities said.
Emblematic establishment of Old Havana with its green facade, the hotel, under construction, had been closed to tourists for two years. Employees preparing for its reopening, scheduled for May 10, were on the other hand inside. “Initial findings indicate that the explosion was caused by a gas leak”clarified on Twitter account of the Cuban presidency.
“It was neither a bomb nor an attack, it was a regrettable accident”said President Diaz-Canel, who arrived on the spot shortly afterwards, thus wanting to put an end to rumors on social networks which evoked the bomb attacks which took place in several hotels in the 1990s, sponsored by Cuban exiles.
Four floors blown
The five-star Saratoga Hotel has 96 rooms, two restaurants and a rooftop pool. According to the first images available, its facade was largely damaged. The first four floors were completely blown away, and the floor was strewn with debris and pieces of glass, Agence France-Presse (AFP) noted on the spot. After the explosion, a cloud of smoke and dust rose from the Prado, the main avenue in the center of Havana, where the hotel is located, near the Capitol.
Several vehicles were also destroyed near this hotel, known for having hosted several celebrities in recent years, including Madonna and Beyoncé. Built in 1880 to house shops, the building had been transformed into a hotel in 1933 and renovated to make it a luxury establishment in 2005.
A dozen ambulances and five fire engines were present on the spot, the latter trying to cool the gas depot by spraying water on it. President Diaz-Canel, who also went to a hospital where the wounded were being treated, told the doctors: “Be the best, we must save ours”.