The Cuban authorities announced this Thursday the end of the rescue tasks in the Saratogathe hotel of Havana which suffered an explosion last Friday in which 44 people died.
The last part of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), this afternoon, maintained the number of injured in the accident at 98, of which only 16 remain hospitalized.
Look: A pregnant woman, a Spanish woman and 4 minors among the dead: what is known about the victims of the explosion in the hotel in Cuba
The accident, presumably due to a gas leak, caused serious damage to the building, with the collapse of a section of the building and the fall of half of the façade, as well as damage to 17 adjoining buildings.
After the rescue and rescue efforts were completed, the Cuban president, Miguel Diaz-Caneldecreed two days of official mourning, from 6:00 a.m. on May 13 to 12:00 p.m. on May 14, the official newspaper Granma reported.
“During the validity of the official duel, the Lone Star Flag must be raised at half-staff in public buildings and military institutions,” add statement.
Previously, the head of the Cuban Fire Department, Colonel Luis Carlos Guzmán, told local media that the teams had found the body of the last missing person according to the claims of the relatives.
“Until this minute, he remains the last missing person”Guzmán assured in reference to the body found, presumably that of a waitress who was in the building when it exploded last Friday.
He added, quoted by the state Cuban News Agency, that now they will continue with the cleaning and removal of debris in the area where the explosion occurred.
All the dead identified so far are Cuban, except for a young Spanish tourist.
The Cuban government has reiterated that the cause of the accident was a gas leak when a liquefied gas tanker truck was recharging a tank at the establishment.
The Saratogabuilt in 1880, had been operating since 1911 as a hotel. Its last restoration took place in 2005.
Source: Elcomercio