'Massive blast' at hotel in Cuba kills at least 8, injures 30

At least eight are dead and 30 injured after a Friday explosion decimated Havana's iconic Hotel Saratoga, multiple outlets have reported.

The explosion, which tore off the hotel's facade, is believed to have been caused by a gas leak, the Cuban Presidential Office said.

"Everything indicates that the explosion was caused by an accident," the office added, per CNN. Witnesses described a "massive blast" that destroyed buses and cars outside.

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The hotel was undergoing renovations, so there were no guests being lodged at the time, The Associated Press reports.

Thirteen individuals have been reported missing, per Communist Party newspaper Granma. The presidential office has said search and rescue efforts are underway for those possibly trapped under the rubble.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.