The death toll of Havana hotel explosion exceeds 30

The death toll from Friday’s explosion at a Hotel Saratoga in Havana rose to 31 on Sunday, authorities said.

Rescue workers continued searching the hotel’s ruins Sunday, and officials said they believe more bodies remain inside the structure.

The ministry of health said 54 people were injured, with 24 hospitalized. It previously reported 85 injured, but that tally turned out to include those killed by the explosion.

The state-run company Gaviota that manages the hotel said 11 workers died in the blast and 13 remain missing. A Cuban-American woman is among the injured, according to Dalila Alba González, a Ministry of Tourism spokesperson.

The hotel was seriously damaged when a tanker truck loaded with some 10,000 liters of liquid gas exploded on Friday afternoon.

The Cuban Presidential Office said in a tweet, “Everything indicates that the explosion was caused by an accident”, “not a bomb nor an attack, it’s a regrettable accident”.

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

SOURCES: NEWS AGENCIES