Twenty-Two People Die As 5-Star Hotel Explodes In Cuba

No less than 22 people have been killed and over 70 have been hospitalized after an explosion rips through a £137-a-night five-star hotel in Cuba.

A desperate search for survivors is still ongoing after a gas leak caused a blast that obliterated The Hotel Saratoga in Havana.

The gas tanker reportedly caused the explosion by being lifted away.

Guests reported hearing something that sounded “like a bomb” before the eruption tore through the 19th-century building.

It is believed a gas tanker that was parked outside the hotel ignited, causing an explosion that destroyed several floors of the building.

At the time, reports claimed that some holidaymakers are still trapped on the top floor as the five-star hotel crumbled.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel had already ruled out a bomb after visiting the site of the blast on Friday.

He instead suggested that initial investigations pointed to the cause of the blast being a gas leak.

The dead included a pregnant woman and a child according to official reports.

Locals have shared an array of harrowing videos of the scene on the ground, providing a terrifying insight into the devastation.

The walking wounded are desperately trying to find safety while reports suggest Cubans have been heroically saving victims from under the mountains of rubble.

Incredible images show the structure of the once-grand hotel has been blown apart, as smoke and dust choke the air.

The historic hotel was set for a post-pandemic reopening in four days. It now lies in ruins, with much of its outer wall torn off.

Police and the fire service have begun searching for victims as hundreds of tourists and locals stared in awe.

The adjacent buildings were also ravaged by the powerful explosion, with one witness saying it caused “buildings for several blocks” to shake.

Concerns were also raised for children who attend the school located next door to the hotel, but it was confirmed they had been evacuated.

Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard also wrote in a tweet: “Our solidarity to the victims and those affected as well as the people of that dear fraternal nation.”

The Hotel Saratoga, situated in Havana’s old town, boasts 96 rooms and a rooftop pool.

The building was originally erected in 1880 for warehouses before being remodeled as a hotel in 1933.

It then re-opened in 2005 and has become a popular choice for holidaymakers visiting Cuba.

The famous five-star hotel was set to reopen in the next few days before the tragedy.