Cuba explosion: Death toll in Hotel Saratoga blast rises to 18 including pregnant woman and child

Bomb-like sound reported in area

Eight dead after major explosion at Cuban hotel

A large explosion has torn through several floors of a hotel in the Cuban capital of Havana.

Authorities say that 18 people, including a pregnant woman and child, were killed in the blast, which is thought to have been caused by a gas leak at The Hotel Saratoga.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel, speaking from the scene of the disaster on Cuban television, said the explosion at the Hotel Saratoga had not been caused by a bomb.

Mr Díaz-Canel says that 50 adults and 14 children were hospitalized after the blast.

Cuban state TV reported that the blast was caused by a truck that had been supplying natural gas to the hotel, but did not elaborate on how the gas ignited.

Witnesses told CNN they heard a “massive blast” that also destroyed cars and buses outside the historic building. Pictures from the scene show at least three floors of the hotel have been destroyed by the explosion.

The building the hotel is now in was constructed in 1880 as warehouses before being converted in 1933 to a hotel. It has 96 rooms and was reopened in 2005 after a refurbishment, according to its website.

Key Points

• Major explosion rips through several floors of hotel in Cuba
• What did hotel look like before blast?
• Four dead and 19 injured in explosion,. report says

[7 May 2022 00:02 · Graeme Massie]

Scenes of devastation at historic hotel

(REUTERS)

[7 May 2022 00:32 · Graeme Massie]

Death toll rises to 18 people, Cuban authorities say

Cuban authorities say that the death toll formthe Havana hotel explosion now stands at at least 18 people, including a pregnant woman and a child.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel, speaking from the scene of the disaster on Cuban television, said the explosion at the Hotel Saratoga had not been caused by a bomb.

Mr Díaz-Canel says that 50 adults and 14 children were hospitalized after the blast.

[7 May 2022 01:04 · Graeme Massie]

Cuban president visits blast site

ICYMI: Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, said initial investigations into the blast at the Hotel Saratoga pointed to a gas leak being the cause of the explosion,Cuban state media said.

[7 May 2022 01:59 · Graeme Massie]

Hotel was closed but set to open 10 May

ICYMI: The hotel had been closed during the pandemic but was dueto re-open in four days time.