Cuba remembers Saturday the tragic explosion at the Saratoga Hotel in Havana.

Havana, May 6 (RHC)-- Cuba remembers Saturday the tragic explosion at the Saratoga Hotel in Havana.

The explosion at the Saratoga Hotel in Havana, which caused nearly 50 deaths deaths, injuries and material damage, kept the people of the Caribbean nation in suspense during the six days of intense rescue work.

On the morning of May 6 last year, a strong explosion shook that tourist facility, in the historic center of Havana, and caused the deaths of 47 people and 99 injured, most of them hotel workers and people who were passing through the place at the time.

The explosion occurred when a liquefied gas tanker was supplying the emblematic lodging, which was about to reopen its doors after a repair process.

A leak of LPG gas (butane and propane mixture) in the supply line or the receiving source caused the concentration of this fuel in the interior volume of the building until it reached the flammability limit and an ignition source caused the explosion.

The blast destroyed the facades of the lower three floors of the building and affected 23 buildings in the area, including 17 residential buildings.

Immediately, brigades of rescuers, firefighters and specialized personnel began the urgent and careful work of removing debris and searching for trapped people, while the injured were evacuated to several hospitals in the capital, where operations were set up to care for the victims.

The tragedy demonstrated the value of solidarity, when the population turned to provide assistance to those affected in the initial minutes, and then supported the work of rescuers during the anguishing days that lasted more than 144 hours.

After the conclusion of the search and rescue operations, President Miguel Diaz-Canel decreed official mourning on May 13 and 14, 2022, and the capital's youth, convened by the Union of Young Communists, held a vigil at the nearby Fraternity Park.

When announcing the nation's tribute for the victims of the Saratoga accident, the Cuban president expressed his gratitude to firefighters, rescuers, health personnel and the population, who united to face the tragedy.    (Source/PL)