Search for missing people in ruins of Saratoga hotel continues

According to families’ claims, 12 or 13 people might be still trapped inside the hotel after the explosion of May 6 (Friday), Javier Martinez, a leader of the Provincial Committee of Cuba’s Communist Party (PCC), said.

The relatives of the missing people are receiving information and being taken care of from the central command set up at Palacio de la Computación (Computing Palace), across from Parque de La Fraternidad and the Saratoga.

Meanwhile, excavations and debris extraction continue, and the conditions of the infrastructure to have access to the pool, which is in the top floor, are being assessed. The PCC official told the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (Cuban News Agency), that the families who lived in damaged buildings in the disaster area have been accommodated at the Villa Panamericana or evacuated in the houses of their relatives.

Death toll of hotel explosion in Havana rises to 37

Another three dead bodies were recovered from the Hotel Saratoga blast site, in Havana, brought the number of deaths to 37, as a result of a gas leak.

Members of the Cuban Fire Department found the remains in the few last hours, and two have already been identified, Luis Guzman, head of the force, informed the national television.

Guzman affirmed that they are working non-stop to find the people trapped in the rubble as quickly as possible.

He also explained that the search and rescue work is being conducted with extreme care owing to the amount of debris and the danger of a structure collapse.

On May 6th, an explosion at the Hotel Saratoga demolished the front and side facades of the first two floors of the building and damaged the adjacent buildings as a tanker truck carrying liquefied gas was servicing the facility. 85 were injured by the blast.

Hospitals in the province provided immediate aid to the victims, while several health institutions received thousands of people who came to donate blood.