The explosion was caused by a gas leak, according to the first elements of the investigation. Excavations continue to find survivors in the rubble.
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The balance sheet is heavy. In Cuba, a powerful explosion, probably caused by a gas leak, partially destroyed, on Friday May 6, a historic luxury hotel in the center of Havana, killing at least 26 people. A previous report, given Friday evening, was 22 dead and more than fifty injured in this explosion, probably due to a gas leak, but state television assured Saturday afternoon that the number of deaths was now 26.
“Tragic news reaches us from Cuba”Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted: “A Spanish tourist has died and another Spanish citizen is seriously injured after the explosion at the Saratoga Hotel. All our affection to the families and to all the victims and injured. All our support also to the Cuban people.”
Cuban rescuers continued Saturday to search through the rubble of the luxury hotel, hoping to find new survivors. The search is now focused on the interior of the building and the basement, the television said.
Emblematic establishment of Old Havana with its green facade, the hotel, under construction, had been closed to tourists for two years. Only workers and employees were inside preparing for its reopening, scheduled for May 10. The first four floors of the Saratoga hotel, classified 5 stars and known for having hosted several celebrities in recent years including Mick Jagger, Beyoncé and Madonna, were blown up in the explosion, which occurred around 11 a.m. on Friday (5 p.m. in Paris) .