A huge explosion occurred at the Saratoga Hotel, one of the most luxurious hotels in the touristic area of Cuba’s capital Havana. At least 25 people died in the explosion, which is thought to have been caused by the gas leak, and more than 60 people were injured and hospitalized.
It is stated that a tanker carrying natural gas, parked in front of the Saratoga Hotel in Old Havana, caught fire and caused great damage to the front of the building.
The historical hotel was renovated after the pandemic and it was announced that it would reopen in four days. Many workers continued to work at the hotel.
But now half of it has been demolished and wrecked and most of the workers are in the hospital.
Search and rescue efforts are still continuing, it is estimated that there may be those who are under the rubble.
Cuban authorities announced that a pregnant woman and a child were among the dead. All of the injured are being treated in hospitals.
Eyewitnesses likened the explosion to a “major earthquake,” and said that the ensuing black smoke covered the entire sky.
After the explosion, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel also visited the hotel, which is located near the government’s former congress building; “This is not a bomb or an attack, it’s an unfortunate accident,” he said.
After the two-year blow to tourism, which is the country’s major source of income, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the country is getting ready to serve tourists again.
Saratoga Hotel also provides service in a historical and popular building in one of the oldest districts of the capital. Celebrities such as Madonna, Beyonce and Mick Jagger stayed in the 19th-century hotel, which was worked on to renovate its interior during the pandemic.