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At least eight people have been killed and more than 30 others injured in a massive explosion that toppled one of Cuba’s five-star hotels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The blast at the Saratoga Hotel in Old Havana on Friday appears to have been caused by a gas leak, according to local officials.<\/p>\n
Search-and-rescue operations are still ongoing to find people trapped under the rubble. A citizen who lives a block away from the hotel, told CBS News that \u201cshe initially thought that [shp\u00ebrthimi] “It was an earthquake.”<\/p>\n
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has visited the scene, which is located in front of the old government congress building. “It was not a bomb or an attack, it is an unfortunate accident,” he said.<\/p>\n
The incident comes as tourism in the country was recovering from two difficult years caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
The Saratoga Hotel was closed for renovation for most of this period.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The 19th-century building has hosted stars like Madonna, Beyonce and Mick Jagger who stood there during the merger between Havana and Washington under President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n
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