A powerful explosion has destroyed a hotel in the middle of Cuba's capital, Havana.
At least 25 people have been killed and many more injured in what is being described as an accident. Rescue workers are still searching for more victims in the rubble.
The five-star Hotel Saratoga is located in Old Havana, across the street from the Cuban Capitol. The explosion occurred on Friday morning local time and images show how the facade has been torn apart and scores of rooms have been blown out.
The hotel was undergoing renovation and therefore, according to local authorities, there were no tourists present in any of the 96 rooms.
According to Cuba's state-run media, the cause was a gas leak, which occurred when a truck delivered natural gas to the hotel.
”"It was neither a bomb nor an attack. It was a tragic accident," says Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Among the 25 confirmed deaths is at least one child. Authorities count dozens of injured.
”"We are still looking for a large group of people who may be under the rubble," says Noel Silva of the city's rescue service.
Rescue workers are searching through the rubble with the help of dogs. They have made contact with at least one person still trapped underneath.
Cuba's tourism minister announces that no affected foreigners have been found, but emphasizes that this is preliminary information.
The Swedish Embassy in Havana writes on its website that it has no information that Swedish citizens have been in the area.
”"There was a terrible explosion and everything collapsed," a woman, her face covered in dust, told AFP.
Photographer Michel Figueroa tells AP that he was walking past the hotel when the explosion threw him to the ground.
”My head still hurts... It all happened very quickly,” he says.
Bicycle taxi driver Rogelio Garcia, who was passing by, told AFP that a large cloud of dust arose from the impact, after which many people ran out of the building.
A nearby school, which has about 300 students, was evacuated after the blast. Several buses and cars outside the hotel were also destroyed in the explosion.
The building that houses the hotel was built in 1880 and became a hotel in 1933. It was renovated in 2005, when Cuba revamped the older parts of the capital. In recent years, it has hosted famous guests such as Madonna, Beyoncé, Mick Jagger and Rihanna.
Source: TT
