Deadly massive explosion at Havana hotel

By Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal, Melissa Macaya and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 9:28 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022
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9:28 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

A massive explosion ripped through a historic hotel in Havana. Here are key things to know. 

From CNN's Patrick Oppmann, Karol Suarez and Jorge Engels

Rooms are seen exposed at the Hotel Saratoga where emergency crews work after a deadly explosion in Havana, Cuba, on Friday, May 6.
Rooms are seen exposed at the Hotel Saratoga where emergency crews work after a deadly explosion in Havana, Cuba, on Friday, May 6. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

Police and fire rescuers are combing through rubble for survivors after an explosion late Friday morning destroyed a hotel in Havana, Cuba, killing at least 22 people and injuring at least 64, according to the Cuban presidency.

Here are key things to know:

What caused the explosion: A gas leak is thought to be the cause of the explosion at Hotel Saratoga, according to the Cuban Presidential Office, who said that more details would follow.

"Everything indicates that the explosion was caused by an accident," the Cuban Presidential Office said in a tweet.

The victims and rescue efforts: According to preliminary data, a child and a pregnant woman were among those who died, it said. The presidency also said 64 people have been hospitalized for injuries, including 14 minors.

Cuban state TV said there are potential survivors trapped in the basement of the destroyed hotel.

Cuban President President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the site of the explosion on Friday and Hermanos Ameijeras hospital, where a number of victims were sent to, according to images shared by the Presidential Office on Twitter.

He said the explosion was "not a bomb nor an attack, it's a regrettable accident," after returning to the site of the blast.

Hospitals continue to treat all the wounded and rescue activities are still underway, he added.

What the scene was like: Witnesses described a "massive blast," which appeared to destroy buses and cars outside the hotel in the center of the city. Images from the scene showed the blown-out facade of at least three floors of the ornate green-and-white stuccoed building. Plumes of dust and smoke could be seen rising around debris on the ground.

A CNN team on the ground saw a bloodied woman being carried away at the scene of the explosion. Fireman were using their bare hands to move chunks of broken granite and stone in order to pull people out of the rubble. Pieces of metal awnings, balconies and large chunks of stone were scattered about 300 feet away from the hotel.

The hotel's significance: The hotel was built at the end of the 19th century and, by the 1930s, it was one of the most important hotels in the city. It has 96 rooms since reopening in 2005 after refurbishment, according to its website. Personalities such as the writer Rafael Alberti have passed through its doors.

8:57 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

Death toll updated to at least 22 in Havana hotel explosion, according to Cuban presidency

From CNN’s Patrick Oppmann in Havana

At least 22 people are now dead and 64 hospitalized from the explosion at Havana’s Hotel Saratoga on Friday, according to the Cuban presidency.

Cuban state TV said there are potential survivors trapped in the basement of the destroyed hotel.

8:34 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

At least 18 dead in Havana hotel explosion, Cuban presidency says

From CNN Español's Marlon Sorto

A member of a rescue team searches for survivors at the site of a deadly explosion that destroyed the Hotel Saratoga, in Havana, Cuba, on Friday, May 6.
A member of a rescue team searches for survivors at the site of a deadly explosion that destroyed the Hotel Saratoga, in Havana, Cuba, on Friday, May 6. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

At least 18 people have died in the explosion at Havana’s Hotel Saratoga on Friday, according to a tweet from the Cuban presidency.

According to preliminary data, a child and a pregnant woman were among those who died.

The presidency also said 64 people are hospitalized for injuries, including 14 minors.

5:20 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

US Embassy in Cuba urges Americans to notify loved ones directly of well-being 

Rooms are exposed at the Hotel Saratoga after a deadly explosion in Havana, Cuba, on Friday, May 6.
Rooms are exposed at the Hotel Saratoga after a deadly explosion in Havana, Cuba, on Friday, May 6. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

The US Embassy in Havana is closely monitoring reports of the explosion at the Hotel Saratoga, it said in a statement in Spanish.

"Initial reports indicate that it is related to an accidental gas leak," the embassy said, adding that they would continue to share information with American citizens in the area.

The embassy urged Americans to:

  • Avoid the affected area.
  • Follow the instructions of the local authorities.
  • Contact local authorities if you are in the affected area and need emergency help.
  • Follow the updates from the local media.
  • Contact your loved ones directly to notify them of your well-being.
  • Update your status on social networks.
8:07 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

Havana hotel explosion not caused by "bomb or attack," Cuban president says

From CNN's Jorge Engels

Emergency workers walk amid the rubble outside the Hotel Saratoga after an explosion in Havana on May 6.
Emergency workers walk amid the rubble outside the Hotel Saratoga after an explosion in Havana on May 6. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

An explosion that destroyed the Hotel Saratoga in Havana on Friday was not caused by "a bomb nor an attack," Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said.

After returning to the site of the deadly blast following a brief visit to two hospitals treating the victims, Díaz-Canel called the incident a "regrettable accident." 

Hospitals continue to treat the wounded, and rescue activities are still underway, he added.

The Cuban Presidential Office said earlier on Friday that a gas leak is thought to be the cause of the explosion at Hotel Saratoga.

3:11 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

At least 9 dead after powerful explosion rocks Havana, Cuban state TV says

From CNN's Patrick Oppmann in Havana

At least nine people were killed on Friday after a huge explosion destroyed the Hotel Saratoga in Havana, Cuba, according to Cuban state TV.

Earlier Friday, Cuban officials said a gas leak is thought to be the cause of the explosion at Hotel Saratoga.

"Everything indicates that the explosion was caused by an accident," the Cuban Presidential Office said in a tweet, adding that at least 30 people have been hospitalized after Friday's blast.

3:01 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

Hotel Saratoga is located near Cuba's Capitol building

The Hotel Saratoga, which was rocked by an explosion today, is located in the heart of the Cuban capital city of Havana, just a few steps away from the National Capitol building.

The hotel, which was built in the 1930s and has 96 rooms, was reopened in 2005 after refurbishment, according to its website.

Here's a look at a map of the area:

3:00 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

Watch the moment of the explosion at the Hotel Saratoga in Cuba

Here's the moment when an explosion destroyed Hotel Saratoga in Havana, Cuba.

Watch the video:

4:56 p.m. ET, May 6, 2022

Here's what CNN saw at the scene of the blast as rescuers race to get people from under the rubble 

CNN correspondent Patrick Oppmann, who serves as the network's Havana bureau chief, was on the scene outside the Hotel Saratoga shortly after the explosion occurred.

Cuban officials said a gas leak is thought to be the cause of the blast, and at least 8 people have been reported killed. Officials expect the number to go up as rescuers go through the rubble, Oppmann noted.

The CNN correspondent said he saw heavy smoke in the area as witnesses approached the hotel to see what had occurred. He said the building looked "gutted" from the blast.

"When we arrived, we saw a woman being carried out quite bloodied and very injured," Oppmann reported on CNN. "Literally, firemen using their bare hands to pull up pieces of granite and stone to get people out from under these chunks of rubble. When we walked in close to this hotel — 100, 150 yards (about 300 to 400 feet) away — there was shrapnel, pieces of metal awnings and balconies and large chunks of stone. Anybody in the area could have been injured. We don't know if the hotel was open right now. All the same, though, that has caused a significant number of deaths and injuries."

Oppmann described Hotel Saratoga as an "iconic hotel" in Havana, noting that celebrities and officials have stayed there.

Watch more from CNN's report: