At least 22 killed in explosion at hotel in Cuba’s capital
- The blast at the famous Hotel Saratoga in downtown Havana was not caused by a bomb, and a gas leak appears to be the most likely cause
- The five-star venue, considered the place to go for visiting government officials and celebrities for many years, was about to reopen in days
A deadly explosion hit a well-known hotel in downtown Havana on Friday, tearing a gash several floors high in the side of the building, killing at least 22 people and injuring upwards of 70, witnesses and state media said.
Speaking from the scene on Cuban television, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the blast at the historic Hotel Saratoga appeared to have been caused by a gas leak.
“In no case was it a bomb or an attack,” he later said as he left the capital’s Calixto Garcia hospital, where many of the injured were treated. ‘It’s just a very unfortunate accident.”
The blast nonetheless sent a brief wave of panic through the historic old Havana neighbourhood, which has gradually begun reopening to tourists after the pandemic battered the Caribbean island’s crucial travel sector.
Hundreds of Cubans and tourists alike gathered near the property under a hot sun as police cordoned off the area around the hotel. Many speculated about the cause of the blast as ambulances and rescuers carried victims from the wreckage.