Photo: Deutsche Welle/ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP / copyright
Four days after an accidental explosion collapsed the emblematic Saratoga hotel in Havana, the capital of Cuba, rescuers continued the search for victims of the disaster that left 43 dead, according to official figures updated on Tuesday (10.05.2022) after the discovery of three other bodies.
Among the three bodies recovered on Tuesday is that of a woman from 77 years and a popular local councilman, Juan Carlos Diaz, from 55 years.
A third body that was extracted from the rubble is still in the process of being identified, authorities said. The death toll includes four children.
In the hospital there are 43 people
The authorities reported that other 54 people were injured and 17 of them still receive hospital care.
The emblematic five-star hotel It had been closed for two years due to the pandemic and was preparing to reopen to the public. Its first four floors were destroyed.
On Friday the 6th in the morning, the luxurious hotel was in the last preparations to reopen four days later. Some 50 workers were there while a tanker truck supplied gas to the establishment.
Suddenly, there was a strong explosion and a gigantic cloud of dust in the air and the blast wave throws debris on the crowded Paseo del Prado, where it is located.
Built in 1880 and converted into a hotel in 1933, the Saratoga was known for hosting several celebrities in recent years, including Mick Jagger, Beyoncé and Madonna.
jc (afp, efe)