A robust explosion hit a well known lodge in downtown Havana on Friday, tearing a gash a number of flooring excessive into the facet of the constructing and injuring a minimum of one particular person, witnesses and Cuban state media stated.
Photos from Granma, the Communist Party’s official every day, confirmed pictures of the multistory Hotel Saratoga with partitions apparently blown out by the blast. It was not instantly clear what prompted the explosion.
A Reuters witness noticed smoke and flames coming from the constructing. Police and rescue employees flocked to the scene, cordoning off key factors and buildings close by, together with the historic Capitolio constructing.
A photograph from the scene confirmed what gave the impression to be a minimum of one physique on the scene with a white fabric over it.
The lodge was reworked by a British firm after the autumn of the Soviet Union and was thought of the place to go for visiting authorities officers and celebrities’ for a few years. Recently, it had misplaced a few of its shine with the opening of recent inns in Havana, however was nonetheless a five-star venue.
The lodge had been set for a post-pandemic re-opening in 4 days, in response to its Facebook web page.
