Communist Party of Cuba First Secretary and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, Tuesday afternoon, visited the area surrounding the Hotel Saratoga in Old Havana, reviewing efforts underway related to the May 6 accident there.
Meeting the President were Party Provincial First Secretary, Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar, as well as Fire Brigade Chief Colonel Luis Carlos Guzmán, and Minister of Construction René Mesa Villafaña, among other Party, government and law enforcement authorities, who responded to his inquiries regarding the continuing search for bodies believed to remain under the rubble.
The President, on his third visit to the area, asked about the repair of apartment buildings adjoining the hotel, affected by the accident last Friday, and experts onsite explained the structural condition of the damaged buildings.
The President's presence in the area of the Saratoga Hotel was preceded by a meeting at the Palace of the Revolution regarding the scheduling of priority tasks. Also participating were Vice President of the Republic Salvador Valdés Mesa and Hero of the Republic Army Corps General Ramón Espinosa Martín, both members of the Party Political Bureau; as well as Deputy Prime Minister and head of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil Fernández.
Havana Governor Reinaldo García Zapata reported that 96 persons injured during the accident had been treated at the city’s hospitals to date, adding that 37 had already been discharged. At that moment, he said, 17 remained hospitalized, and the number deceased had reached 42.
“We continue to work intensely through the night,” he stated, since extracting bodies from the rubble is the priority.
Rescuers are working with great intensity, and repairs have begun on some facilities impacted by the incident, he said.
The President inquired about students at the nearby Concepción Arenal primary school, closed due to damage caused by the explosion. Governor García reported that students had begun to return to classrooms at other neighborhood schools, where psychologists and other specialists were supporting both the children and their families.
