Explosion confirmed ReutersWhich confirmed with witness the flames and smoke rising from the building.
The same information was provided by News agency, which is quoted from the Cuban state media. The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but the official account of the Cuban presidency on Twitter says that initial reports indicate a possible gas leak.
The same account has already given a preliminary assessment, indicating eight deaths, 30 hospitalizations with injuries and 13 missing. Moreover, both the Cuban President, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermúdez, and his Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, visited the site.
One of the Cuban media had already reported that nearby clinics were receiving the wounded and that several ambulances had been called.
The first four floors were practically destroyed and surrounded by mountains of rubble and pieces of glass.
Housed in a neoclassical building dating back to 1880, the hotel has been operating since 1933 in this historic district of Havana, on the famous Prado Street. According to its official website, it is five-star, with 96 rooms, two bars, two restaurants and a rooftop pool.
The authorities are already on the scene, having cordoned off the perimeter of the hotel, and there are also rescue teams on site. A nearby school was damaged by the explosion and was also cordoned off.
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