AFP – General At least 40 people died in an explosion at a hotel in Cuba 05.09.2022 21:11

The Cuban Ministry of Health said the death toll rose to 40 on Monday when a hotel in Havana exploded due to a gas leak three days ago.

In the afternoon, the remainder were 54 injured, 18 still in hospital, and forty dead, including four children and adolescents and an adult, a Spanish tourist.

According to the ministry, seven of the injured are still in critical condition and seven are in serious condition.

By morning, rescuers announced that four bodies had been removed from the rubble, bringing the death toll to 35.

The four bodies belonged to hotel workers, Cuban state news agency ACN reported at noon that “12 or 13 people” were still missing.

Searches continued this Monday, especially in the basements of the building, which is difficult to access due to the presence of waste.

“It is a very dangerous phase because of the debris density and the risk of collapse,” fire chief Colonel Luis Carlos Guzmán told state television.

(7) On Friday, at full throttle, the luxury hotel Saratoga in Old Havana exploded late in the morning.

The iconic five-star hotel has been closed for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and was set to reopen to the public on Tuesday. The first four floors of the building were destroyed in the explosion.

According to the statement made by the Ministry of Tourism, 51 workers were in the hotel at the time of the explosion.

Popular design store “Cladestina” announced on social media that it was collecting donations for the homeless, saying “medicine, water, non-perishable food, bandages, clothing and bedding, towels.”

These civil society relief initiatives began in January 2019 when a hurricane swept Havana. Until then, it was the responsibility of the state.

A luxurious neoclassical building built in 1880, Saratoga was renovated as a hotel in 1933 and reopened in 2005.

One of the most popular hotels in Havana, the hotel hosted Beyoncé and Jay Z, who celebrated their wedding anniversary in 2013, as well as Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, and Mick Jagger, the legendary member of the Rolling Stones.