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The death toll of 22, including a pregnant woman with a child and over 60 injured is the tragic balance of a massive explosion that destroyed the front of one of Cuba’s most exclusive five-star hotels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It is believed that a gas tanker truck which was parked outside the Saratoga Hotel in Old Havana caught fire, causing the explosion that destroyed several floors of the building.<\/p>\n
The historic hotel would finally reopen these days after the pandemic, but it now remains in ruins, with most of the exterior walls collapsed.<\/p>\n
Search-and-rescue operations are underway there to find people trapped under the rubble. The injured are being treated at the nearest hospitals.<\/p>\n
Yazira de la Caridad, who lives a block away from the hotel, told CBS News that “she thought there was no earthquake, that was the force of the explosion.”<\/p>\n
Witnesses said they saw plumes of black smoke and clouds of dust rising into the sky. Thankfully, a school located directly behind the hotel was not affected, and local officials confirmed that all the children there had been safely evacuated.<\/p>\n
“Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel insisted it was not a bomb or an attack, but an unfortunate accident.” The incident comes at a time when tourism in the country is trying to recover from two difficult years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Saratoga Hotel, a landmark in the capital’s colonial neighborhood, has been closed for renovation for most of this period.<\/p>\n
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