The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) raised this Monday to 35 the official death toll in the explosion Friday at the Saratoga hotel in Havana.
(Read: This is how a prestigious hotel in Havana, in Cuba, was left after the explosion)
This update was released shortly after the official Cubadebate website reported that the number of deceased increased to 35, after adding to the last official balance the recovery of four bodies in the last hours.
(He is interested in: See how the luxurious hotel in Cuba was left after the explosion in Havana)
These four bodies belong to workers of the hotel installationreported Javier Martínez Díaz, a member of the Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC, the only legal one) in Havana province.
The Minsap reported for its part that the number of injured rose to 89 people, of which 20 are still admitted to six Havana hospitals -7 in critical condition, 6 in serious condition and 7 in care. A total of 34 patients have been discharged in the last hour.
According to relatives of the disappeared, it is estimated that between 12 and 13 people are still imprisoned under the rubblea figure that can be specified as the excavation progresses, explained Martínez.
The fire and rescue brigades continue uninterrupted operations to remove the debris and thus be able to reach the double basement of the building, where it is believed that the trapped people may be.
The collapse of the floors of the ground floor and the first floor of the hotel on the basement make the tasks difficult and the heavy machinery has faced many difficulties to carry out the operations, due to the risk of hitting the unstable structure of the building.
I appreciate your condolences, dear President Putin. We will be bearers of your message of encouragement to the families of the victims. And we will recover with everyone’s effort and the encouragement of friends. https://t.co/VJFYnUQGW6
– Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) May 8, 2022
Hopes of finding survivors among the hotel debris begin to fade after 72 hours have passed of the tragic accident. Cuban authorities have stated that the search will not stop until it is confirmed that no one remains under the rubble.
The Cuban government has reiterated on several occasions since the explosion occurred on Friday morning that it was a gas leak. A commission is investigating the facts. At the time of the explosion, a liquefied gas tanker truck was parked in front of the hotel and recharging a tank belonging to the establishment.
It is believed that the hose could have a crack. Another 17 adjoining buildings suffered the impact of the blast wave and in the next few days a technical evaluation will be carried out on three blocks and the hotel itself, to analyze whether they can be recovered or should be demolished.
The Saratoga was built in 1880 and from 1911 it functioned as a hotel. Its last restoration took place in 2005, when the building was reformed in depth.
This five-star luxury accommodation is located on the iconic Paseo del Prado avenue, in the historic center of the Cuban capital, the area most visited by tourists who come to the island.
EFE
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