Rescuers comb through Havana hotel blast rubble, death toll climbs to 26
Rescuers combed through what remained of a luxury Havana hotel, as the death toll after a powerful blast due to a suspected gas leak climbed to 26, authorities said.
No survivors were found in the upper floors of the prestigious Saratoga Hotel and rescuers said they were now concentrating their efforts on the jumbled debris filling the two-level basement of the neoclassical building.
Authorities reported Saturday that 46 people had been hospitalised. There was meanwhile some confusion after a Red Cross official gave a death toll of 32, but the higher number was later reported to be "an error."
The hotel had been closed for business during renovation work, and many victims of Friday's explosion were either construction workers or hotel employees preparing for its reopening.
But one Spanish man -- a 29-year-old tourist who had been walking nearby -- died in the blast.
With the search now turning toward the building's basement levels -- a woman's cry for help was heard emanating from there on Friday afternoon -- tons of smoking debris have complicated the task.
The first four floors of the establishment, which were closed to guests while being renovated, were gutted in the late-morning blast that sent dust and smoke billowing into the air.
The explosion tore off large parts of the facade, blew out windows and destroyed cars parked outside the five-star hotel, which has in the past hosted celebrities such as Madonna, Beyonce, Mick Jagger and Rihanna.
