A strong explosion was recorded at the Saratoga hotel, in the center of Havana, capital of Cuba, state media reported this Friday (6). A Reuters news agency report at the scene also noted flames erupting from the island’s luxurious building.
The American network CNN reported that police and firefighters are digging through rubble in search of survivors. Nearby buses and cars were also partially or completely destroyed.
Photos published by Granma, the official journal of the Communist Party of Cuba, show images of the hotel with walls destroyed by the explosion on several floors. Students from a school next to the site were evacuated, according to the website.
Police cordoned off key points and nearby buildings, including the historic and tourist-friendly Capitol, the country’s former seat of government.
On social media, people claiming to be at the scene reported that the explosion may have occurred in a truck carrying liquefied natural gas and passing by the hotel.
The leader of the Cuban communist regime, Miguel DÃaz-Canel, went to the scene of the accident and ruled out the possibility that the explosion was caused by a bomb. He said investigations have already started.
Saratoga was remodeled by a British company after the fall of the Soviet Union and was considered for many years the main place to visit senior Cuban officials and celebrities. Over the past few years, it has lost ground with the opening of new hotels in Havana. The hotel was scheduled to reopen, after the worst phases of the Covid pandemic on the island, in the coming days, according to the official Facebook page.
