The death toll at the Havana Hotel has risen to 30; dogs are looking for survivors

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Search crews with dogs hunted the ruins of a luxury hotel in the Cuban capital on Sunday for survivors of an apparent gas explosion, and officials increased the death toll to 30. The Saratoga Hotel, a five-star hotel with 96 rooms in Old Havana, was preparing to open after as it was closed for two years when an apparent gas leak caused a massive explosion on Friday. Cuban authorities on Sunday increased the death toll to 30 from 27, even as crews continued to search for victims of an explosion that cut off the building’s exterior walls and damaged several nearby buildings, including the Marty’s Historical Theater and Calvary Baptist Church, the denomination’s headquarters. west of Cuba. The health ministry said 84 people were injured. Among the dead were four minors, a pregnant woman and a Spanish tourist whose companion was seriously injured. According to the Ministry of Health, about 24 people remain hospitalized. A spokesman for Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA, who owns the hotel, said on Saturday. 13 of its employees are missing. Gov. Reynaldo Garcia Zapata said Saturday night that 19 families had reported the disappearance of loved ones and that rescue efforts would continue. Authorities say the cause of the blast is still under investigation, but believe the blast was caused by a gas leak. On Saturday, a large crane lifted a charred fuel truck from under the rubble. The explosion was another blow to the country’s most important tourism industry. The crews worked hard to clean the surrounding streets, and by late Saturday, significant pedestrian traffic had resumed. Some nearby buildings were also badly damaged by an explosion that knocked out windows and slammed walls. Even before the coronavirus pandemic prevented tourists from Cuba, the country struggled with harsh sanctions imposed by former US President Donald Trump and kept the Biden administration. These are limited visits by American tourists to the islands and limited remittances by Cubans to the U.S. to their families in Cuba. Tourism began to revive a little earlier this year, but the war in Ukraine led to a boom in Russian visitors, which accounted for nearly a third of tourists who arrived in Cuba last year. The focus began on the official visit of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who arrived in the capital on Saturday night. Lopez Obrador has completed a tour of five countries that began in Central America. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited Mexico during last year’s Independence Day celebrations. Lopez Obrador recently spoke out against the US government’s clear intention to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the US summit in Los Angeles in June.

HAVANA –

Search teams with dogs hunted the ruins of a luxury hotel in the Cuban capital on Sunday to survive an apparent gas explosion, and officials increased the number of known dead to 30.

The Saratoga Hotel, a five-star 96-room hotel in Old Havana, was preparing to open after being closed for two years when an apparent gas leak caused a powerful explosion on Friday.

On Sunday, Cuban authorities increased the known death toll to 30 from 27, even as crews continued to search for victims of the blast, which cut off the building’s exterior walls and damaged several nearby buildings, including the Marty’s Historical Theater and Calvary Baptist Church, headquarters. for denomination in western Cuba.

The Ministry of Health reported that 84 people were injured. Among the dead were four minors, a pregnant woman and a Spanish tourist whose companion was seriously injured.

According to the Ministry of Health, about 24 people remain in hospitals.

On Saturday, a spokesman for Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA, who owns the hotel, said 13 of its employees were missing. Gov. Reynaldo Garcia Zapata said Saturday night that 19 families had reported the disappearance of loved ones and that rescue efforts would continue.

Authorities say the cause of the blast is still being investigated, but believe the cause of the blast was a gas leak. A large crane lifted a charred fuel truck from under the rubble.

The explosion was another blow to the country’s most important tourism industry.

The brigades were actively cleaning the surrounding streets, and by late Saturday, significant pedestrian traffic had resumed. Some nearby buildings were also badly damaged by an explosion that knocked out windows and slammed walls.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic prevented tourists from Cuba, the country struggled with tougher sanctions imposed by former US President Donald Trump and kept the Biden administration. These are limited visits by American tourists to the islands and restrictions on Cuban money transfers to the U.S. to their families in Cuba.

Photo by AP / Ramon Espinosa

People are watching rescue work at the site of a deadly blast that destroyed a five-star Saratoga hotel in Havana, Cuba.

Tourism began to revive a little early this year, but the war in Ukraine offset a boom in Russian tourists, which accounted for nearly a third of tourists who arrived in Cuba last year.

The focus began on the official visit of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Abrador, who arrived in the capital on Saturday night. Lopez Obrador has completed a five-country tour that began in Central America.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited Mexico during last year’s Independence Day celebrations. Lopez Obrador recently spoke out against the US government’s clear intention to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the US summit in Los Angeles in June.

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