Cuban ambulance crews attempted to find survivors in the rubble of the Saratoga Hotel in central Havana on Saturday after a massive explosion destroyed part of it, killing at least 26 people, according to a new report. balance sheet.

“My daughter works in Saratoga, she’s been here (under the rubble) since eight o’clock yesterday morning, and since then I haven’t known anything about her,” Yomara Kobas told reporters, explaining that she had no found her daughter, neither in the morgue nor in the hospital.

One of the firefighters at the scene said searches on the upper floors of the building turned up no bodies or survivors. The AFP correspondent pointed out that search operations are now concentrated in two basements, which are difficult to access due to the large amount of rubble.

Also, rescue teams, using sniffer dogs and equipped with devices to monitor survivors, are trying to reach the basement where a woman made a distress call on Friday afternoon.

“We have to move forward, there may still be comrades alive down there, and the longer we delay, the less chance they have of surviving,” said Ramiro Valdes, deputy prime minister and leader of the 1959 revolution.

A new official report indicates that 26 people were killed, including four children, in the explosion, probably caused by a gas leak. Of the 45 injured who are still receiving treatment, nine are in critical condition and six are in serious condition.

The previous outcome had reported the death of 25 people, including a Spaniard.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote in a tweet: “A Spanish tourist died and another Spaniard was seriously injured in the explosion at the Saratoga Hotel. All our solidarity with the families, all the victims and the wounded. All our support also to the Cubans. people.”

The hotel, located near the Capitol, seat of the National Assembly, is an old Havana monument with its characteristic green facade. It is considered the Celebrity Hotel and has recently hosted Mick Jagger, Beyoncé and Madonna.

But on Saturday morning it appeared to be just a structure, and the explosion destroyed its first four layers.

– ‘Solidarity’ –

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted: “It’s very unfortunate what happened, the devastation, especially the loss of life, as well as the injuries, but again I want to emphasize the speed displacement of the population and institutions”.

“Solidarity prevailed,” he added, as many Cubans rushed to donate blood on Friday to help the injured.

Television reported that residents of nearby houses affected by the blast were evacuated to shelters in Bab Al-Hita.

The Saratoga Hotel, under renovation, has been closed to tourists for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The neoclassical building was built in 1880 primarily as a shopping mall before being converted into a hotel in 1933, and in 2005 it was renovated into a five-star luxury hotel with 96 rooms, two restaurants, and a rooftop pool.

Preliminary information indicates that the explosion, which occurred around 11 a.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday, was caused by a gas leak during a refueling operation by a tanker truck.

On Friday, the United States, Canada, the European Union and Venezuela, in particular, offered their condolences to the Cuban authorities.

“China is deeply saddened by the loss of life in (this) accident and expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and the injured,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed his condolences to his Cuban counterpart, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.