During Friday morning, a strong burst severely affected the downtown hotel Saratoga from Havana, Cuba. The building was under repair, the event left at least 9 dead, regarding 40 injured and 13 missing, according to authorities. Meanwhile, it develops a preliminary investigation into the causes that indicate that it was a gas leak.
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“The First Secretary of the Party in Havana, Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, explains that so far it has been possible to confirm the death of 4 people“, while, “13 people remain missing”, said the Cuban presidency in two Twitter messages.
The explosion ise produced around 10.50 in the morning (14.50 GMT) and caused the destruction of at least four of the floors of the neoclassical building. After the collapse of part of the facade of the luxury hotel, there was damage to cars around it, according to an AFP journalist.
The building was also affected by a fire that generated a large column of white smoke and dust, which extended towards Prado – the main avenue of the Cuban capital – and was visible from much of the city. All this left piles of debris and glass around.
The ground floor, first and second floors of the six-story building were seriously affected by the explosion, which knocked down the façade, causing a shower of rubble on the street. The mountain of rubble on the sidewalk exceeds the height of a person. Upper floors were also damaged.
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On the floor some people were assisted by paramedics, between the coming and going of ambulances and fire trucks.
The official media Cubadebate assured in a first report that there was “serious damage and potential loss” and noted, citing witnesses, a possible gas leakan unconfirmed end.
Emergency teams, firefighters and soldiers moved to the scene. Many onlookers also gathered around the building.
The uniformed officers cordoned off two blocks around with yellow tape. At least two ambulances and five fire trucks arrived in the surroundings of the hotel, while a strong police mobilization was registered.
The city authorities have not yet reported on the causes of the explosion or possible victims.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel arrived at the crash site, where vehicles were destroyed, while firefighters searched through the rubble. “Preliminary investigations indicate that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. There will be more details on this soon”, the Cuban Presidency reported on Twitter.
“It was not a bomb or an attack, it was an unfortunate accident”, said President Díaz-Canel, in front of the rubble of the luxury hotel Saratoga, located on an emblematic avenue of the city and very close to the capitol.
At the same time, while the Cuban authorities are present in the affected area and the Calixto García hospital, where blood donations are accepted. Dozens of Cubans are also approaching the Provincial Blood Bank -located between 23 and 2 of El Vedado-, as detailed Gerardo Hernandez Nordelodeputy and National Coordinator of the CDR of Cuba.
A “terrible noise”
“There was a tremendous noise and a cloud of dust that reached the park (opposite), many people ran”, he told AFP Roger Garciadriver of a pedicab that was passing just at the time of the explosion.
The first four floors of the Saratoga, a five-star hotel with 96 rooms, two restaurants and a rooftop pool, were blown up in the blast. The ground was strewn with debris and glass and several cars were damaged around it, AFP found.
In the hotel, which was closed and was to reopen on May 10, there were workers from the establishment.
The delegate of the state company Gaviota, owner of the hotel, Roberto Calzadilla, said that the explosion occurred when “the gas was being replenished with a pipe (tank truck) and apparently this was what caused this unfortunate accident”.
Shortly following 11:00 local time (3:00 p.m. GMT), a cloud of smoke and dust spread towards Prado, the main avenue in downtown Havana, where the luxury hotel is located and the first four floors looked practically destroyed, with lots of debris and glass around.
On the floor some people were assisted by paramedics, between the coming and going of ambulances and fire trucks.
The uniformed officers cordoned off two blocks around with yellow tape. Around the hotel several ambulances and five fire trucks, while a strong police mobilization is registered.
“What was felt was a shocking explosion and all that fell apart”, Said another woman who still had dust on her face and who did not want to give her name.
For its part, the newspaper Juventud Rebelde reported on its Twitter account, there are still more people trapped in the rubble. The hotel was not in operation, but it did have its workers inside. Among the injured, several were bystanders who were outside the building.
The outlet also noted that following the incident, the children of a school near the explosion, “they were quickly evacuated to the National Capitol, seat of the Cuban Parliament”.
The Saratoga is housed in a neoclassical-style building built in 1880 and operating as a hotel since 1933. Its last restoration took place in 2005, according to official media.
With five stars, the hotel is considered one of the most luxurious in the city.
The establishment is located in the Paseo del Prado, one of the main avenues of Old Havana, in the historic center of the Cuban capital.
With information from EFE and AFP.
