Video officials say the blast, which destroyed a luxury hotel and nearby buildings in central Havana, was caused by a gas leak. CreditCredit … Alexandre Meneghini / Reuters
MEXICO CITY – A powerful explosion rocked downtown Havana on Friday morning, officials said, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens, destroying parts of a luxury hotel and damaging nearby buildings just meters from the Cuban capital.
At least 13 people have been reported missing, officials said, and videos and photos shared on social media showed ambulances rushing to the scene and much of the facade of the Saratoga Hotel was destroyed, with street ruins and smoke. rises in the sky.
“It smelled like a chemical that burned your nose,” said Miriam Diaz, 56, a Havana resident who lives behind the hotel and was on a bus arriving home during the blast. “We couldn’t go out because the door wouldn’t open.
The hotel is under renovation and was not open to guests during the blast, government officials said.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel arrived shortly after the blast, along with Prime Minister Manuel Marero Cruz. The Cuban presidency’s office said on Twitter that preliminary investigations showed that the blast, just before 11 a.m., was caused by a gas leak.
“Havana is in shock today after the accidental explosion of a gas tank at the Saratoga Hotel, which led to the collapse of much of the facility,” Mr Diaz-Canel wrote on Twitter. “Our deepest condolences and sincere accompaniment to the families and friends of the victims.”
The explosion at a famous hotel was reminiscent of a series of attacks on hotels in Havana in the 1990s involving militant exiles. But authorities were quick to dismiss any speculation that the blast was intentional.
“It was by no means a bomb or an attack,” Mr Diaz-Canel told reporters at the scene. It was an “unfortunate accident.”
The president’s office added that search and rescue efforts were still under way, with potential people still trapped in the rubble. Authorities believe the blast took place right in front of the hotel.
“The whole building has moved. I thought it was an earthquake, “Jazira de la Caridad told the Associated Press, describing how the blast shook her home a block from the hotel. “I still hold my heart in my hand.”
An iconic building dating back to the 19th century, Hotel Saratoga reopened in 2005 as a luxury five-star hotel. The hotel was closed for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to its Facebook page, and was due to reopen next week.
Among the damaged buildings is the nearby Concepción Arenal school. A schoolteacher, who declined to give her name, said several students had been injured. She said the windows had been blown out and pieces of glass were flying a considerable distance.
The local education director told Cuban media that five students were injured in the blast.
“It’s shocking,” said Ms. Diaz, whose daughter attended school but was unharmed by the blast. “It’s really hard.”
State media reported that the children were evacuated to the Capitol after the blast.
The newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party “Granma” reported on Twitter that the explosion took place “while it is assumed that the liquefied gas was moved by truck.”
The explosion comes just as Cuba’s most important tourism sector has begun to recover from being severely affected during the coronavirus pandemic. The island nation has been closed to visitors for months, plunging Cuba into one of the worst economic crises in history.
“This should give people a pause on whether Havana is really ready to reopen,” said Renata Keller, a Cuba expert at the University of Nevada, Reno. Cubans “really need this recovery in the tourism industry and this explosion will not help.”
The disappearance of tourists has deprived Cuba of a vital foreign currency on which it depends heavily, exacerbating the financial challenges posed by decades of US embargoes.
The economic crisis marked the beginning of one of the largest protest movements in Cuban history, with thousands of people taking to the streets in cities across the country. Subsequent repression by the government led to the imprisonment of dozens of people for crimes, including riots.
The blast came days after Cuba hosted an international tourism fair in the nearby resort town of Varadero.
Shortly after the explosion, calls for blood donation to help the victims of the explosion were spread on social networks. Photos shared online show Cubans queuing for a blood donation in Havana.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday afternoon that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s upcoming visit to the island was scheduled.
“Our solidarity with the victims and those affected, as well as with the people of this dear fraternal country,” Mr Ebrard said on Twitter.
Originally built in 1879, Hotel Saratoga opened in the 1930s and is considered one of the most important hotels in Havana, according to its website. Now owned by the Gaviota tour group, the hotel has hosted international travelers for decades. His notable clientele includes guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Beyonce Knowles-Carter.
Hannah Berkeley Cohen contributed to a report from Columbus, Ohio. Francis Robles contributed to a report from Miami, Florida.
Add Comment