By Andrea Rodriguez Associated Press
A powerful explosion apparently caused by a gas leak killed at least 22 people and injured more than 70 on Friday after blowing out the exterior walls of the first floors of a five-star hotel in the heart of Havana.
The explosion occurred shortly before 11 in the morning and the shocking noise was heard all around.
Smoke and dust lingered at the five-star Hotel Saratoga after a deadly explosion in Old Havana, Cuba, on May 6, 2022.Ramon Espinosa/AP
"It wasn't a bomb, it wasn't an attack... it was a very unfortunate accident," President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who went to the scene, told reporters.
"We are still looking for a significant group of people who may be under the rubble," said Lt. Col. Noel Silva of the fire department.
Workers from the emergency services at the facilities of the Hotel Saratoga in Havana, on May 6, 2022.Ramon Espinosa / AP
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, José Ángel Portal, told The Associated Press that at least two hospitals had received some 50 wounded, a figure that could increase as the rubble is removed.
A director of one of the hospitals to which those affected were taken indicated that among the victims there were three children who were being treated: two of them about six years old and another two.
A taxi that was buried in the rubble of the Hotel Saratoga in Havana, Cuba, on May 6, 2022. Ramon Espinosa / AP
The surroundings of the Hotel Saratoga were guarded by members of the security forces, on May 6, 2022. Ramon Espinosa / AP
No details were given about the nationalities of the victims, but the facility was not yet operating with international tourists, after the stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Therefore, it is estimated that they would be Cubans.
Both Minister Portal and Díaz-Canel visited the Calixto García Hospital, where most of the injured were transferred.
Rooms that were exposed by the explosion that occurred at the Hotel Saratoga in Havana, on May 6, 2022.Ramon Espinosa / AP
The official newspaper Granma reported that Reinaldo García Zapata, governor of Havana, confirmed that the hotel was undergoing renovations and that there were no tourists in the facilities.
An adjoining elementary school had to be evacuated.
An AP reporter who was able to get close to the scene noted the extensive damage to the first three floors of the building, where the exterior walls had completely collapsed and rooms could be seen inside.
Firefighters were working to remove the debris and several ambulances were transporting the injured.
The police cordoned off the area with yellow tape to prevent the passage of civilians.
Firefighters coordinated the rescue efforts at the Hotel Saratoga in Havana, on May 6, 2022. Ramon Espinosa / AP
The hotel is located in front of the Capitol, where the Assembly of People's Power, the Cuban parliament, is currently located.
After noon, the relatives of the injured who were being treated at the scene began to arrive at the Calixto García Hospital.
The incident occurred minutes before 11 in the morning and mobilized all the emergency services in the Cuban capital.Ramon Espinosa / AP
Smoke and dust emanations lasted for several hours at the site of the explosion, on May 6, 2022. Ramon Espinosa / AP
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"She had to work today. She's a waitress. I work two blocks away, I felt the noise and at first I didn't even associate it," said Beatriz Céspedes Cobas, 26, sister of Shaidis Cobas, 27, through tears, while trying to gather information. .
Later, Cuban state television showed the removal of a gas tanker and blamed it for causing the explosion.
The director of the Gas company, Lázara Soria, indicated that the truck supplied the hotel —without specifying for what type of service— and said that it had about 3,170 gallons of fluid.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel during a visit to some patients affected by an explosion at the Hotel Saratoga, in the Cuban capital.EFE
Members of the rescue and emergency services of the Cuban capital at the site of the explosion that occurred on May 6, 2022. EFE
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Cuban photographer Michel Figueroa was passing in front of the Saratoga when the explosion occurred.
“The explosion knocked me to the ground and my head still hurts.
I stood up, but it was all very fast,” he said as he showed the images he took of the front of the hotel just after the explosion.
Mayile Pérez came running to the area asking for her husband, Daniel Serra, who works in a store located inside the hotel.
She indicated that her husband called her after the explosion and only said "I'm fine, I'm fine, they took us out," but she was unable to speak to him again.
For her part, Yazira de la Caridad, who lives a block away, reported that "everything moved the building, I thought it was an earthquake. My heart is in my hand."
An ambulance arriving at the Hotel Saratoga in Havana. EFE
The hotel is located in an area of old and deteriorated buildings, so hundreds of residents took to the streets in fear of new explosions.
The Saratoga, located in the historic center of Havana, is a five-star hotel with 96 rooms, two bars, two restaurants, a spa, and a rooftop pool with a panoramic view of the city.
International figures have stayed there, such as the American singer Beyoncé and her husband, Jay Z.
Miguel Díaz Canel, Cuban president, was inspecting the area of the explosion that occurred at the Hotel Saratoga, in the Cuban capital. EFE
With its French neoclassical design and wrought iron balconies, it is one of the most emblematic buildings in the Cuban capital.
Grupo Gaviota, belonging to the business area of the Armed Forces and which manages the hotel, indicated that the case is being investigated in a statement published on its website.