luxury hotel
Explosion shakes Cuban capital Havana – death toll rises to at least 22
STORY: A popular downtown Havana hotel lies in ruins. An explosion had devastated several floors on Friday. At least 22 people are said to have died, according to state television. More than 70 were injured, it said on Saturday. “A big explosion. We saved three people but there are still missing,” said this passerby. President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who spoke on Cuban television from the scene, said the explosion at the Hotel Saratoga was not caused by a bomb, adding that a gas leak was the most likely cause. Remodeled by a British company after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the neoclassical-style hotel was for many years the go-to place for government officials and celebrities. According to his Facebook page, the post-pandemic home was scheduled to reopen next week.
At least 22 people were killed in an explosion at a luxury hotel in the old town of the Cuban capital, Havana.
After the explosion at a luxury hotel in the old town of the Cuban capital Havana, the death toll has risen to 22. Among them were a pregnant woman and a child, as the Presidential Office of the socialist Caribbean state announced on Twitter on Friday (local time). 64 people had come to hospital for treatment, including 14 minors.
The explosion happened shortly after 11:00 a.m. (local time, 5:00 p.m. CEST). Journalists from the AFP news agency reported that large parts of the facade of the Hotel Saratoga, which is currently being renovated, were destroyed. The area was littered with debris and broken glass. Several vehicles and at least one neighboring building were also destroyed. President Miguel Díaz-Canel got an idea of the situation on site.
“There was a terrible explosion and everything collapsed”
“We felt a huge blast and a cloud of dust that reached the park (opposite the hotel), and many people ran out,” said Rogelio García, a pedicab driver. “There was a terrible explosion and everything collapsed,” said a woman whose face was covered in dust and who declined to give her name.
“Initial findings indicate that the explosion was triggered by a gas leak,” the presidential office said in another post on Twitter. According to the state news portal “Cubadebate”, a representative of the local authorities said that a liquid gas bottle had been changed in the hotel. A crack in a line caused an explosion. President Miguel Díaz-Canel ruled out an attack. A witness reported that the hotel was being supplied with liquid gas at the moment of the explosion, reported “Granma”, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba.
Five-star hotel in Havana partially destroyed
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the well-known five-star hotel, a few steps from the Capitol, has been closed for about two years. It should be reopened next Tuesday. Hotel Saratoga features 96 rooms, two restaurants and a rooftop pool. Stars like Madonna and Beyoncé have stayed there in recent years.
The bottom three floors of the five-story neoclassical building were completely devastated, as can be seen in pictures. Neighboring buildings and several vehicles were also damaged, apparently including a church and the important Martí Theatre. According to the government, a nearby school was also damaged and evacuated. Residents of affected houses were brought to safety. The structural safety of the hotel and surrounding buildings are being examined. Díaz-Canel praised on Twitter that many young Havana residents immediately donated blood for the injured