Another 97 people were injured in the explosion that happened last Friday. Cuban authorities are investigating whether the accident was caused by a tanker that was unloading gas
The deceased in the explosion of the Saratoga hotel in Havana this Tuesday reached 43 points, according to the count of the Cuban Ministry of Health (MINSAP). The number has risen by three people in the past 24 hours after rescuers managed to gain access to the building’s double basement, where some of the workers were believed to have been trapped.
The deceased, aged between 10 and 77, included four minors and one pregnant. They were all Cubans, except for a 29-year-old woman of Spanish nationality.
The Minsap also reported that the number of injured has risen to 97 people, 17 of whom are still hospitalized in six Havana hospitals, including six in critical condition, seven in serious condition. A total of 36 patients have been discharged in the past hours.
According to previous estimates, there could still be people under the rubble, as about a dozen people were still being searched this morning, local authorities said. Eight bodies have since been found, but it is not known how many people are still wanted under the rubble. And there is still an unknown person.
After more than 48 hours of continuous work, firefighters, rescuers and emergency services managed to gain access to the hotel’s double basement, which housed shops, a warehouse and several offices. The collapse of the ground floor and first floor basement hotel floors as a result of the explosion made rescue efforts extremely difficult.
Heavy machinery has encountered many difficulties to perform operations, because of the risk of hitting the unstable structure of the building. Hopes of finding survivors among the hotel’s rubble begin to wane after 72 hours have passed since the accident.
Cuban authorities have reiterated that the search will not end until it is confirmed that no one is under the rubble. “We won’t be finished working until the last worker this family is waiting for at home doesn’t show up,” Old Havana City Mayor Alexis Acosta told Efe from the Saratoga area.
The hotel was not operational at the time of the accident, but 51 workers were inside preparing for reopening, scheduled for next Wednesday.
The Cuban government has repeated several times since the explosion on Friday morning that it was a gas leak. A committee is investigating the facts. At the time of the explosion, a liquefied gas tanker was parked in front of the hotel and a tank belonging to the establishment was charging. It is believed that the snake could have a crack.
Another 17 neighboring buildings suffered the impact of the blast wave and in the coming days a technical evaluation will be carried out on three blocks and the hotel itself, to analyze whether they can be restored or should be demolished.
The Saratoga was built in 1880 and served as a hotel from 1911. The last restoration took place in 2005, when the building was thoroughly renovated. This five-star luxury property is located on the iconic Paseo del Prado avenue, in the historic center of the Cuban capital, the area most frequented by tourists who come to the island.
Source: La Verdad
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