Cuba: Big explosion destroys Saratoga Hotel in Havana and kills at least 18 (Update 4)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Friday, an explosion rocked downtown Havana, Cuba, destroying the Saratoga Hotel. Buses and cars in front of the hotel were also destroyed.

The death toll in the hotel blast in Cuba doubled to 18, and the number of injured people increased to 56, including 14 children, the Cuban presidential administration says.

The preliminary cause of the explosion in Havana is reported to be a gas leak.

Witnesses told CNN correspondent Patrick Oppmann at the scene that there was a “massive explosion.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has arrived at the scene of the hotel blast in Havana, says it was an accident.

Rescuers continue to look for survivors of the explosion in Havana. A spokesperson for the Red Cross told Sputnik that there are people still trapped under the rubble.

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