At least 18 people were killed and 74 or more were injured in a massive explosion at a 5-star hotel in Cuba.
The blast took place at the iconic Havana hotel known as Hotel Saratoga following a suspected gas leak.
According to the reports, the rescuers are still racing against time to find survivors in the wreckage, whereas at least eighteen people have already been declared dead according to the local sources, Reuters reports.
An additional seventy-four or more people have suffered injuries and are in need of medical treatment.
As an investigation into the explosion continues, Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel issued a statement saying a gas leak is believed to be responsible for the blast.
“In no case was it a bomb or an attack. It’s just a very unfortunate accident,” he told Reuters.
In shocking pictures from the scene, the iconic building is seen completely torn apart and annihilated in some areas.
According to the reports, the explosion ripped through several floors of the 90-year-old hotel and destroyed nearby vehicles including cars and buses.
Following the explosion, panic erupted in the city and a nearby school was evacuated. Meanwhile, rescuers set up a makeshift trauma unit outside the building to deal with the sudden influx of patients.
One of the eyewitnesses of the explosion was photographer Michel Figueroa who recalled being knocked to the ground by the blast as he was passing by the building.
“The explosion threw me to the ground, and my head still hurts…. Everything was very fast,” he said.
A mother-of-two who was at her home in the neighboring block at the time of the blast also revealed that everything was shaking like there was an earthquake.
“The whole building moved. I thought it was an earthquake. I’ve still got my heart in my hand,” Yazira de la Caridad said.
According to the latest local reports, the blast also severely damaged Iglesia Bautista, a historic church near the hotel.
Our thoughts are with the victims of the explosion during these challenging times.
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